…Decries attacks on churches in the North

By Efe Onodjae

Senior Pastor of House on the Rock, Pastor Paul Adefarasin, has raised concerns about the rising wave of violence and attacks on churches and Christians in northern Nigeria, saying the situation has reached a heartbreaking level.

Speaking during a media briefing for The Experience 20 concert, Adefarasin said many House on the Rock branches and affiliate churches in the North are under severe pressure due to continuous attacks.

According to him, pastors and members live in fear, and he often receives distress calls in the middle of the night.

“It’s very tough. I get calls at 2am, 3am. I feel the pain of the pastors and members. It’s very bloody and very bad that some people believe they will get a special reward in heaven by killing others like you and me,” he said.

Adefarasin noted that such attacks violate the freedom of worship guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution. He described Nigeria as a secular state by law, but argued that the current constitution is faulty and no longer serves the true needs of the people.

He therefore called for a fresh, people-driven constitution that would restructure the country into a true federation.

“Our country needs a new structure. Nigeria must become a real federation where regions control their resources and pay agreed taxes to the centre. The centre should focus on national issues like the military, while regions grow at their own pace,” he said.

Adefarasin said his vision is a Nigeria where each of the six geopolitical zones develops into industrial hubs, driving productivity and nationwide economic growth.

Speaking on Africa’s natural wealth, he lamented that the continent continues to export raw materials, such as cocoa, crude oil, shea products and precious minerals, without adding value.

He noted that although cocoa is a trillion-dollar global industry, Africa contributes only three per cent of its total value because it exports the raw commodity rather than processed goods.

He urged the wealthy and influential in society to invest more in infrastructure, education, health services and energy, insisting that energy remains the backbone of any industrialised economy.