POLITICAL ACTIVISM FROM THE PULPIT: PAUL ADEFARASIN

The senior pastor of House on the Rock Church, Lekki Lagos Paul Adefarasin was in the news earlier this week. In a video circulating on social media, the cleric described Lord Lugard who amalgamated the Northern and Southern Nigeria protectorate as a devil incarnate, adding that most of the issues in the country originated from him. He further described the Independent National Electoral Commission as a fraud, saying that the numbers obtained during census and elections in the country are all lies.
At a time when criticizing the government comes with a prize, the cleric spoke truth to power, daring anyone to “put him in trouble if you like.” He spoke with so much decorum and vigor. While I do not agree entirely with all he said, I love the fact he was doing what most religious leaders are indifferent about.
Let’s look at what he said first;
“If we don’t fix some of Nigeria’s problem today, that is the INEC problem. I am saying it plainly, INEC, put me in trouble if you like, it is a fraud. The numbers in Nigeria as far as census are concerned, and as far as election is concerned are a lie. And if nobody will speak about it, the righteous should speak. Our righteousness is not of ourselves, it is of Him and He will protect. Where the numbers are not properly reflected in our voting, this is the only country in West Africa, when you move from the ocean through the desert and the numbers decrease or rather they increase, the only country in the world that you move a large body of water to little or no water and the numbers increase. It was not Nigerians that started it. It was the parents of Nigeria, who were not good parents. They were not good parents. The man, Lord Lugard was a devil incarnate. What he did to this country, we have been suffering it since many years and it is time that we must tell the truth. I have that sword in my office. The sword of Lord of Luxury, Robin Hood, why? Because part of my job is to make sure that the wealth of Nigeria is redistributed with an evenness. How do I do it, it is no by giving the poor; rice, oil at election time. Give them education.”
This is sheer political activism from the pulpit. Nigerians have been complaining about the silence of the church in the face of so many societal ills. To quote the Psalmist, “if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do”. Pastor Adefarasin has just told Nigerians what the righteous can do and what they ought to do.
On census being a scam, Adefarasin is spot on, very correct. It has been so since the first major census in 1911. The second was in 1921 ahead of the 1922 general elections under the Clifford constitution which happens to be the first election in Nigeria. Since then, census has always been a problem.
In 1931, the census resulted in riots over tax because people thought they were going to document them so they could pay tax. Do not be deceived by the figures government parade as Nigeria’s population. Truth is; we do not know how many we are in Nigeria. Presently, we use United Nation estimate to project the population of Nigeria. UN recommendation is that census should be conducted every 10 years. As a country we have not been able to do that. Census is supposed to hold this year but that is yet to happen, if at all it will happen. Population crisis is a major issue in Nigeria.
On INEC being a fraud, many Nigerians will also agree with Pastor Paul Adefarasin. The ‘independence’ of the body is still begging the question. In our recent memory, a card carrying member of the ruling party was nominated as a commissioner in INEC. There is also the issue of electronic transmission of result which is been debated in National Assembly. Where lies the independence of INEC on these developments.
The one I don’t agree with is his characterization of Lord Lugard as been responsible for our woes. My friend had worse to say about Lord Lugard. He called him “that blood drenched imperialist! He deliberately sowed the seed of destruction in the country. The hatchet man of the Royal Niger Company never intended any good for Nigeria. The secretary of state for the colonies, Lord Lewis Harcourt, described the amalgamation of North and South as a marriage with the North being the husband and the South being the wife. We all know the connotations of that statement. This explains the shrewd hysteria that happens whenever the south makes case for presidency.”
He noted that Lord Lugard left a trail of hazards not only in Nigeria but in Uganda, Hong Kong. My friend is of the conviction that he is always sent to these places to do their dirty job. He even reminded me of the bloody conquest of the Sokoto caliphate in 1903.
For me, blaming our socio-political woes on outsiders is totally wrong. I just don’t believe in blaming our problems on the outsider. Lord Lugard was sent to Nigeria as an agent of the imperialists, he left in 1906. He went to Hong Kong, came back in 1912 with a clear mission; to unite the Northern and Southern protectorate. He became governor of Northern protectorate. He carried out the task given to him. He never initiated it. In a speech to the Colonial Service Club in 1913, the Secretary of State for the colonies, Lord Lewis Harcourt, said of the impending amalgamation, “We have released Northern Nigeria from the leading strings (British) Treasury. The promising and well-conducted youth allowance ‘on his own’ and is about to effect an alliance Southern lady of means. I have issued the special licence and Sir Frederick Lugard will perform the ceremony. May the union be and the couple constant”.
So Lugard merely carried out an assignment. Besides, he died in 1945, this is 2021 and we still blame Lord Lugard… Haba!
We have had opportunities as Nigerians to sort out our own affairs. What have we done with such opportunities? So blaming outsiders for our predicament is out of place, and also not going to help.
We need other clerics to speak up on national issues. This is the time to save the country from collapse through the pulpit. The likes of Rev. Fr. Mbaka, Bishop Kukah have courageously been speaking. Our next piece on Political Activism from the Pulpit will focus on such individuals.