Operators of tourism enterprises in Ikotun, a Lagos suburb have sent a Save-Our-Soul appeal to the Federal and Lagos State governments over the current plight of the Synagogue Church of All Nations and its leader, Prophet T.B. Joshua.

According to them, as a result of the impasse, they and their dependents are facing serious hardship. They said they are finding it difficult feeding and taking care of their families. Among those that spoke were members of the hotel owners, cab drivers, food vendors, hair stylists, commercial motorcycle operators and others.

One of the hotel owners in Ikotun, Chief Jerry Omorodion, who spoke on the issue, said it was unfortunate the situation has degenerated. He said: “There was an accident and many lives were lost. This is unfortunate. The state government is doing the right thing by setting up a commission of enquiry to look into the cause of the unfortunate disaster. No responsible government would see such a thing happen and fold its arms without finding the cause and proffering solution on how to avoid such in future.

“Our discomfort, however, is that the issue is not being treated as accident in a tourist destination that welcomes thousands, if not millions of tourists, both local and international, annually. It is important that the state government should be mindful of the role the church plays in the spiritual lives of people. Millions of people flock here for solution to their physical ailments and spiritual craving. The state government, I am sure, are aware of the role the church plays in the life of the people of Ikotun. We depend on these pilgrims and religious tourists for our livelihood.

“We saw what happened in Saudi Arabia where close to 2,000 persons lost their lives. There have been tragedies in tourist destinations like Kenya and Paris. But they moved forward. The government should do its job but the destination and what brings people there should not be made victims and they should remember that we and our family members are facing difficult times. We have no other means of livelihood outside the ancillary services we offer to pilgrims visiting Ikotun.

“There have been accidents in many tourist destinations in the past. In these climes, knowing the importance of tourism and such destinations in the lives of these host communities, while investigating and getting to the root of the accidents, the governments did not create the impression they want to destroy these destinations. Look, by destroying a destination, you are destroying millions of lives that depend on it for survival.

Look at me, I am a retired civil servant, I am finding it difficult, as the schools have just re-opened, to pay the school fess of my children. My hotel has been empty. I invested in the hotel, as a fall back, after my retirement. It is mostly on weekends that we have a little bit of improvement in our occupancy. Many of my colleagues that had initially converted their houses to hotels are changing them back to residential areas due to lack of patronage.”

He pointed to about three storey buildings around the vicinity: “There are hotels that were springing up before the unfortunate incident. Since it happened, work has stopped in the hotels. Most importantly, in this period Nigeria is trying to diversify the economy; you can’t kill a destination because of an accident. Tell me, in the whole of Africa, which other single destination is capable of attracting such large and diverse number of tourists from all over the world like the Synagogue Church of All Nation? Nigeria should be proud of this and it should not be destroyed.”

“Look I doubt whether there is any individual alive that in Nigeria, indeed Africa that can attract people to a particular country as Prophet TB Joshua does. There is no church or religious event in the country that has the capacity to attract tourists like the Synagogue. Some may not like the founder while others do, this is understandable. However, the incontrovertible fact remains that he is the biggest tourist attraction to Nigeria. If anybody has a contrary opinion, let the person say it. I think he has done much for this country and does not, in my opinion, deserve what he is getting.”

In the last 20 years, Ikotun, a Lagos suburb has seen a tremendous growth both in its economy and as a tourist destination. From being an obscure suburb, Ikotun was transformed into a renowned global tourist destination for Christian pilgrims who throng to the place from all over the world. Annually, about two million local and inbound tourists visit the place. The tourists from all over the world come to worship at the Synagogue Church of All Nations. The pull to Ikotun is also to have an encounter through Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua (Prophet T.B. Joshua). Due to this influx of tourists, many residents of the area quickly latched on to the business opportunity the huge influx of tourists to the area creates.

While the church has accommodation facilities for inbound tourists who came under organised tour, with the huge influx of religious tourists, hotels and guests houses started springing up around the Ikotun. Most of these hotels are not luxury or branded hotels, but they offer decent accommodation for tourists who were not on leisure trip but to find both physical and spiritual fulfillment for their ailments.

Some owners of residential houses also quickly converted their houses to guest houses to accommodate visitors to the church. Fast food joints and food vendors were also not left out in this economic boom to the area. With the large number of hotels and guests houses that sprang up, there was a need regulate the services offered. The operators came together to form an association known as the Pilgrim Hotels Owners Association.

This new found source of livelihood was suddenly faced with a difficult time when on September 12, 2014, a hostel facility owned by the church came crashing down. About 117 pilgrims, mostly from South Africa, lost their lives in the tragedy. There was outrage and anger over the death and also the status of the collapsed building came into question. Since the incident, the church and the Lagos State government have been in court over the incident. While the court case drag, it has negatively affected activities in and around Ikotun as the large number of local and foreign tourists has drastically gone down. Most of the ancillary services that depend on activities around the church for livelihood are seriously being affected.

SOURCE: http://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2016/03/04/tourism-expert-calls-for-restoration-of-tourism-ministry/

Am comin to comment am watchin a.y live

LOOL


Make em carry am put for museum nah

ONLY GOD KNOWS WHO IS SERVING HIM

ok

Buhari is the most recieved President at the airport in Nigeria since Independence.

I can't see anywhere in the article where it is written that the Lagos State Government shut down T.B Joshua's church..... so what are they complaining about.

With the number of people who died and the international attention it generated, there will naturally be a drop in the number of people visiting the church.

I don't see what the Lagos state government has done wrong in this. Why not blame the church for flouting building regulations and then blaming alien aircrafts for bringing down the uncompleted building!

We need your message here in ile ife sir. Islam is overrunning osun state

It's only when you lose what you have that you begin to know its value.

None of these guys were singing TB Joshua's praises to the press when they were lining their pockets with money from the church's popularity. Perhaps it will only be if he leaves Nigeria permanently that the government will realise what they have been missing all these years...

Why should people continue to call an 'attack' an 'accident'? Nigeria will not go unpunished for this monumental cover-up.

People eyes done open...south Africans no dey come again after losing 300 citizens and realising how helpless the almighty prophet was.
God dey.

Makweembo:
Why should people continue to call an 'attack' an 'accident'? Nigeria will not go unpunished for this monumental cover-up.

See this one. Whether accident or attack , how come the prophet didn't manage to see that kyn big event in his very own backyard?

If the Government is good enough and the CBN GOVERNOR knows his onions, Spirits like T.B. Joshua, Oyakiolome, Adeboye, Kumuyi, Oyedepo, Adefarasin etc and our Nolliwood Actors and Actresses can earn Nigeria sufficient Foreign Exchange to keep us out of Trouble. We incur trouble when we discriminate them and incur forex to bring in Shiites, Sunnis, bokoharam etc to destabilize them. You see Nigeria is so unreasonable, silly and selfish. Who would have thought that the likes Senator Olowoporoku is the NASS and yet our economy is failing? I have asked how Britain has been able to maintain a ratio of 2:3 Pounds to Dollars for near everlasting and the Senator simply said "Autarky", like it is in . Japan, China etc. Nigeria can practise this by encouraging our home grown , industries such as T.B. Joshua, actors and actresses, singers and the likes to expand and export. The CBN should monitor these and prevent two Currencies circulating at the same time in our State House and any where in the country.

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Nosa77:
Operators of tourism enterprises in Ikotun, a Lagos suburb have sent a Save-Our-Soul appeal to the Federal and Lagos State governments over the current plight of the Synagogue Church of All Nations and its leader, Prophet T.B. Joshua.

According to them, as a result of the impasse, they and their dependents are facing serious hardship. They said they are finding it difficult feeding and taking care of their families. Among those that spoke were members of the hotel owners, cab drivers, food vendors, hair stylists, commercial motorcycle operators and others.

One of the hotel owners in Ikotun, Chief Jerry Omorodion, who spoke on the issue, said it was unfortunate the situation has degenerated. He said: “There was an accident and many lives were lost. This is unfortunate. The state government is doing the right thing by setting up a commission of enquiry to look into the cause of the unfortunate disaster. No responsible government would see such a thing happen and fold its arms without finding the cause and proffering solution on how to avoid such in future.

“Our discomfort, however, is that the issue is not being treated as accident in a tourist destination that welcomes thousands, if not millions of tourists, both local and international, annually. It is important that the state government should be mindful of the role the church plays in the spiritual lives of people. Millions of people flock here for solution to their physical ailments and spiritual craving. The state government, I am sure, are aware of the role the church plays in the life of the people of Ikotun. We depend on these pilgrims and religious tourists for our livelihood.

“We saw what happened in Saudi Arabia where close to 2,000 persons lost their lives. There have been tragedies in tourist destinations like Kenya and Paris. But they moved forward. The government should do its job but the destination and what brings people there should not be made victims and they should remember that we and our family members are facing difficult times. We have no other means of livelihood outside the ancillary services we offer to pilgrims visiting Ikotun.

“There have been accidents in many tourist destinations in the past. In these climes, knowing the importance of tourism and such destinations in the lives of these host communities, while investigating and getting to the root of the accidents, the governments did not create the impression they want to destroy these destinations. Look, by destroying a destination, you are destroying millions of lives that depend on it for survival.

Look at me, I am a retired civil servant, I am finding it difficult, as the schools have just re-opened, to pay the school fess of my children. My hotel has been empty. I invested in the hotel, as a fall back, after my retirement. It is mostly on weekends that we have a little bit of improvement in our occupancy. Many of my colleagues that had initially converted their houses to hotels are changing them back to residential areas due to lack of patronage.”

He pointed to about three storey buildings around the vicinity: “There are hotels that were springing up before the unfortunate incident. Since it happened, work has stopped in the hotels. Most importantly, in this period Nigeria is trying to diversify the economy; you can’t kill a destination because of an accident. Tell me, in the whole of Africa, which other single destination is capable of attracting such large and diverse number of tourists from all over the world like the Synagogue Church of All Nation? Nigeria should be proud of this and it should not be destroyed.”

“Look I doubt whether there is any individual alive that in Nigeria, indeed Africa that can attract people to a particular country as Prophet TB Joshua does. There is no church or religious event in the country that has the capacity to attract tourists like the Synagogue. Some may not like the founder while others do, this is understandable. However, the incontrovertible fact remains that he is the biggest tourist attraction to Nigeria. If anybody has a contrary opinion, let the person say it. I think he has done much for this country and does not, in my opinion, deserve what he is getting.”

In the last 20 years, Ikotun, a Lagos suburb has seen a tremendous growth both in its economy and as a tourist destination. From being an obscure suburb, Ikotun was transformed into a renowned global tourist destination for Christian pilgrims who throng to the place from all over the world. Annually, about two million local and inbound tourists visit the place. The tourists from all over the world come to worship at the Synagogue Church of All Nations. The pull to Ikotun is also to have an encounter through Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua (Prophet T.B. Joshua). Due to this influx of tourists, many residents of the area quickly latched on to the business opportunity the huge influx of tourists to the area creates.

While the church has accommodation facilities for inbound tourists who came under organised tour, with the huge influx of religious tourists, hotels and guests houses started springing up around the Ikotun. Most of these hotels are not luxury or branded hotels, but they offer decent accommodation for tourists who were not on leisure trip but to find both physical and spiritual fulfillment for their ailments.

Some owners of residential houses also quickly converted their houses to guest houses to accommodate visitors to the church. Fast food joints and food vendors were also not left out in this economic boom to the area. With the large number of hotels and guests houses that sprang up, there was a need regulate the services offered. The operators came together to form an association known as the Pilgrim Hotels Owners Association.

This new found source of livelihood was suddenly faced with a difficult time when on September 12, 2014, a hostel facility owned by the church came crashing down. About 117 pilgrims, mostly from South Africa, lost their lives in the tragedy. There was outrage and anger over the death and also the status of the collapsed building came into question. Since the incident, the church and the Lagos State government have been in court over the incident. While the court case drag, it has negatively affected activities in and around Ikotun as the large number of local and foreign tourists has drastically gone down. Most of the ancillary services that depend on activities around the church for livelihood are seriously being affected.

SOURCE: http://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2016/03/04/tourism-expert-calls-for-restoration-of-tourism-ministry/

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He also has spilled the most blood in African...116 and he is totally unrepentant

Continue wallowing in your perpetual habital delusions of grandeur which you're now synonymous with.

vooks:
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He also has spilled the most blood in African...116 and he is totally unrepentant

Ooni:
We need your message here in ile ife sir.
Islam is overrunning osun state

U said whaaat?
I. Don't. Get u

VampireeM:
i went to SCOAN/Ikotun egbe sometime In Jan this yr, everywhere was dry as desert unlike before it bustles with business activities 24/7. I understand the plight of these ikotun businessmen and women but the fact is that too many lives were lost in that tragedy and its more important than any money in the world. So please they should stop lamenting and look for other sources of livelihood. Am glad TB joshua now ends sunday service by 3pm unlike before when it was 9pm.

I was also there in January. I almost didn't get a seat to sit inside the church. When I went out to eat, Under the canopy was filled. Please do yourself a favour so people don't laugh at your wrong news. Watch Emmanuel TV on sunday , then come back to tell us what you see you hear? Why did you even visit there in the first place, it appears you hate him but you wasted your time, money, energy to go there. Use tha time wisely next time please.

lying won't take you anywhere in life. I went to the church on March 6th this year, and guess what? even the overflow congregation outside was so full that I and my friend had nowhere to sit. We stood for some minutes after we collected the chairs of two kids that started running around.

Upon that, I left the church around past 8pm, as opposed to the other time I left at 11:30pm. The SCOAN never closes at 3:pm. in fact it is around that time the prophet comes out.

VampireeM:
i went to SCOAN/Ikotun egbe sometime In Jan this yr, everywhere was dry as desert unlike before it bustles with business activities 24/7. I understand the plight of these ikotun businessmen and women but the fact is that too many lives were lost in that tragedy and its more important than any money in the world. So please they should stop lamenting and look for other sources of livelihood. Am glad TB joshua now ends sunday service by 3pm unlike before when it was 9pm.

don't mind that lying liar. I went there on march 6th and had nowhere to sit in the overflow some people were even standing.

Sunglass20:


I was also there in January. I almost didn't get a seat to sit inside the church. When I went out to eat, Under the canopy was filled. Please do yourself a favour so people don't laugh at your wrong news. Watch Emmanuel TV on sunday , then come back to tell us what you see you hear? Why did you even visit there in the first place, it appears you hate him but you wasted your time, money, energy to go there. Use tha time wisely next time please.