Nigeria’s Popular preacher and televangelist, Temitope Balogun Joshua, is dead at 57.
Joshua, founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), located in Lagos, the country’s commercial nerve centre, died on Saturday June 5 after a service, a week to his 58th birthday.
He was born on June 12, 1963.
A statement by the church did not give the cause of the death.
“Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” – Amos 3:7
“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.
“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.”
“One life for Christ is all we have; one life for Christ is so dear.”
Throwing more light on the death of her husband, Prophet Joshua’s wife, Evelyn, told journalists that the clergyman was healthy and did not show any sign of illness or that he was going to die.
She stated that his main concern was about the prayer line the church offered to Indians against the COVID-10 pandemic.
She said her husband spent about three hours in prayer before the last service on the mountain.
“Afterward he came up to shower and I left him to have some time to prepare for service as worship had started. Few minutes later, he stepped out for ministration. While ministering, he spoke about a time to come and time to leave,” she said.
She explained that she waited for some minutes and decided to check on her husband and that she met him sitting on the chair like someone reflecting but unconscious.
She stated that she immediately asked some of his followers around to come to revive but he was already dead.
She said her husband ended his race prayerfully.
Early life
Foremost Nigeria’s online newspaper, Premium Times reports that Joshua was born in the Akoko area of Ondo State, South West Nigeria.
According to the newspaper, Joshua was in his mother’s womb for 15 months before he was born.
He attended St. Stephen’s Anglican Primary School, Ikare-Akoko between 1971 and 1977.
The late cleric had only one year of secondary education before going to work in a poultry farm.
According to the newspaper, Joshua, while in school, was jokingly referred to as “small pastors” due to his love for scriptures and ability to predict things.
He also led the Scripture Union.
Joshua reportedly got a revelation later to float a ministry during a 40-day fast.
He founded SCOAN in 1987 and the church was first located under the bridge linking Ejigbo and Egbe in the Ikotun area of Lagos.
The church, which had a few members at inception, grew to become one of the biggest in the country.
It also established a TV called Emmanuel TV, which has over one million YouTube subscribers becoming the world’s most viewed.
In 2011, Forbes rated Joshua was the third-richest pastor in Nigeria with estimated net worth of between $10 million and $15 million.
Wikipedia also documented his social media presence with about 3.5 million fans on Facebook.
His controversies
Joshua was not without controversies.
Over a hundred worshippers at SCOAN on September 12, 2014 died when a guesthouse within the premises of the church collapsed.
Some also doubt his miracles.
His relationship with other ministers of God was also another source of controversy.
SCOAN is not a member of two foremost Christian bodies in the country – Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN).
In fact, PFN, a body of all Pentecostal churches in the country, once described him as an “impostor.”
Though belated, CAN, in a condolence letter to Joshua’s wife, expressed sadness over Joshua’s death.
In a letter signed by its president, Rev. Samson Ayokunle, extolled his vibrant Bible teachings and humility of service to God and humanity while alive.
“Prophet T.B Joshua was one of the foremost Nigerian charismatic pastors, televangelists, and philanthropists who devoted his entire lifetime to the propagation of the gospel and ministering to the needs of the downtrodden.
“He was renowned for his philosophical simplicity and humility. His death is not only a loss to the family and the church, but to Nigeria and the world at large.
“There are indeed no exact words of comfort at a moment like this, but we humbly enjoin you to take solace in the Will of the Almighty God, who works in us both to do and work according to his good purpose (Philippians 2:13). We know that Our Lord Jesus Christ in whom there is all sufficiency, and whom you have been serving wholeheartedly will make all grace abound unto you at this trying moment (2 Corinthians 9:8).
“On behalf of all members of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), we commiserate with you, and the entire family on this loss. It is our prayer that the Almighty God grant Prophet T.B Joshua an eternal rest in his creator, and may God’s perpetual light continue to shine on his path (Amen),” Mr Ayokunle said in the letter addressed to the SCOAN.
CAN urged the family and the church to take solace in the will of God and pray for eternal rest for the deceased.
Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, also commiserated with the family of the clergyman.
“The President notes that the renowned televangelist will be missed by his followers all over the world not only for his spiritual contributions but for touching many lives through philanthropic gestures.
“President Buhari urges Pastor Joshua’s followers to take solace in the knowledge that life is not measured and defined by chronological longevity but by enduring legacies and lives touched positively.
“He also condoles with the government and people of Ondo State and prays that God Almighty will accept the soul of the departed pastor,” the president.