Founder of Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Prophet TB Joshua is dead.
A statement by SCOAN, released on Sunday, confirmed that its founder, Prophet Joshua, died on Saturday after conducting one of his evening services in Lagos. He was born on 12th June, 1963.
The cause of his death was not stated, but a media report by TheCable says, the Pastor had stroke two months ago and was flown to Turkey for treatment. He returned to Nigeria recently after treatment.
The Church’s Statement reads;
“On Saturday 5th June 2021, Prophet TB Joshua spoke during the Emmanuel TV Partners Meeting: ‘Time for everything – time to come here for prayer and time to return home after the service’,” the statement said.
“God has taken His servant Prophet TB Joshua home – as it should be by divine will. His last moments on earth were spent in the service of God. This is what he was born for, lived for and died for.
“As Prophet TB Joshua says, “The greatest way to use life is to spend it on something that will outlive it.”
“Prophet TB Joshua leaves a legacy of service and sacrifice to God’s Kingdom that is living for generations yet unborn.
“The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations and Emmanuel TV Family appreciate your love, prayers and concern at this time and request a time of privacy for the family.
“Here are Prophet TB Joshua’s last words: ‘Watch and pray’.”
Short Biography of TB Joshua
According to Joshua’s official biography, unusual circumstances surrounded his birth.
He said that he spent 15 months in his mother’s womb and narrowly avoided death, after a quarry explosion near his house sent rocks through its roof just seven days after his birth. It is also alleged that Joshua’s birth was ‘prophesied’ 100 years before it came.
Joshua, then known as Balogun Francis, attended St. Stephen’s Anglican Primary School in Arigidi Akoko, Nigeria, between 1971 and 1977, but failed to complete one year of secondary school education.
In school, he was known as “small pastor” because of his love for the Bible. He worked in various casual jobs after his schooling had ended, including carrying chicken waste at a poultry farm.
He organised Bible studies for local children and attended evening school during this period.
TB Joshua attempted to join the Nigerian military, but was thwarted due to a train breakdown that left him stranded en route to the military academy.
SCOAN
According to Wikipedia, Prophet Joshua wrote that he had a heavenly vision, where he received divine anointing and a covenant from God to start the SCOAN ministry.
Following this, in 1987, Prophet Joshua, with few members in attendance founded the Ministry, Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN).
According to the Ministry, more than 15,000 members attend its weekly Sunday service; visitors from outside Nigeria are accommodated in the accommodation blocks constructed at the church.
Religious tourism
The SCOAN has been described as “Nigeria’s biggest tourist attraction” by New Telegraph, and “the most visited destination by religious tourists in West Africa,” by Africa Travel Times with thousands of foreigners flocking to attend the church’s weekly services.
Figures released by the Nigerian Immigration Service indicated that six out of every ten foreign travellers coming into Nigeria are bound for The SCOAN, by The Authority newspaper, a fact discussed in Zimbabwean parliament when addressing the economic potentials of religious tourism, according to Sunday News of Zimbabwe.
This Day newspapers reported that “about two million local and inbound tourists” visit The SCOAN annually. The church’s popularity has led to an increase in flight routes to Lagos from several African countries in 2013.
Controversies
Prophet Joshua had been the subject of several controversies over the years, especially in Nigeria. He claimed to have work miracles, including healing the sick and raising the dead.
In April 2021, YouTube banned his channel for casting out ‘gay spirit’ in a person during a deliverance session.
In September 2014, a section of his church located at Ikotun-Egbe area of Lagos state collapsed leaving over a hundred people dead and several others injured.
In 2011, Forbes Magazine named TB Joshua as the third-richest pastor in Nigeria with estimated net worth between $10 million – $15 million.
