Nigeria's influential pastor TB Joshua, who has died aged 57, was considered a pariah among the country's mega-televangelists and struggled until his death to be accepted within their circles, despite amassing millions of followers across Africa.

Ostracised by both the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) he was described as an "impostor" who belonged to a group of "occults" that had infiltrated Christianity.

But Mr Joshua was no different from the other televangelists who have held many Nigerians in their grip with their "prosperity messages" since the early 1990s.

Most of them are more dramatic and perform the same "miracles", but Mr Joshua - who headed the Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) - was not part of their clique.

"He was rough. He was crude. His methods were unorthodox," says Abimbola Adelakun, assistant professor in the African Studies Department at the University of Texas.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-57388592

'They thought he was fake'

Mr Joshua came from a poor background and was brought up by his Muslim uncle following the death of his Christian father.

He mostly wore a jalabia - a loose-fitting garment worn by Muslims, and kept a moustache that gave him an intense look.

When Mr Joshua started his ministry on television in the mid-90s, his hair did not glisten, his shoes were not shiny and he did not have an American twang - he spoke with a Yoruba accent, and a mixture of English and Pidgin.

His followers found him charismatic and down-to-earth, and his message spread around the world.

Mr Joshua refined himself as he became wealthy, adding a fleet of cars and a private jet to look the part, but he remained an outsider.

Most Nigerian pastors are products of a mentorship scheme where senior pastors are referred to as "daddy/mummy in the Lord".

"They don't believe you can stand on your own without having anyone to defer to," says Gbenga Osinaike, publisher of Nigeria's leading Pentecostal publication.

"The extreme charismatic movements feel you need a mentor - Paul, father of Timothy, Elijah, father of Elisha, and all that. They thought he was fake and the relationship was frosty."

Born on 12 June 1963, Mr Joshua also did not help himself with outlandish claims - one of them being that he was in his mother's womb for 15 months.

To witness his prayer sessions in the early days of his televised ministry was to be treated to exorcism that many felt bordered on the occult.

Some of it felt like a hypnotic session, others like that of a magician at work.
He was not effusively dramatic when he prayed, and seemed not to expend a great deal of strength when he supposedly commanded spirits out of humans.

But he still wielded enormous power - people fell when he spread out his arms, rolled when he snapped his fingers, and his breath pushed back rows and rows of his congregation.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-57388592

'Miracle' handkerchiefs

On some occasions, he gazed intently at those he was praying for and seemed to control the movement of others with an invisible remote.

"People had a mind-set of how God would work and when they saw something different, they were taken aback," says Mr Osinaike.

But many of the things he was criticised for at the time were also practised by many of the Pentecostals who were no less deified by their members.

They used the same white "miracle" handkerchiefs, sold the same oils and holy waters that purportedly cured all ailments and had their faces emblazoned on shirts and stickers used by their members.

"But because he did not belong to the clique or fall into their own description of God, he was demonized," says Mr Osinaike.


Mr Joshua was also accused by his fellow pastors of staging fake miracles, while claiming that their miracles were genuine.

In response, Ms Adelakun says: "There is no miracle that is real.

"I know this is not what Christians will agree to but there is no miracle that can grow your legs. There is no miracle that can raise the dead. All of those things are staged to help you to believe."

Ms Adelakun adds that some Christians believe miracles ended with the days of the Apostles.

"But then came the Pentecostals who said these things are still possible," she says.


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-57388592

Took advantage of TV ban

The mega-pastors radically changed the face of Christianity in Nigeria with their evangelical sermons, prophecies and promises of miracles.

They lead huge congregations, and many of them have been accused of exploiting poor people with their promises of prosperity.

"People want to see something sensational. It gives them something to think about," says Ms Adelakun.

In 2004, Nigeria's broadcast regulator banned TV stations from airing the miracles of pastors on live TV.

Mr Joshua believed that he was the target, with rival pastors having lobbied the government to introduce the ban as he was dominating the media with his so-called miracles.

He used the ban to his advantage, launching a satellite station, Emmanuel TV, which catapulted him to international fame.

"He was perhaps the first to utilise the internet and satellite broadcast to sell his ministry to an international audience," says Ms Adelakun.

He also set up Facebook and YouTube pages with millions of followers.

In April, YouTube suspended his page after it was reported for homophobic messages.

Unlike his peers Mr Joshua did not establish church branches on every street corner and mostly kept his family in the background - his wife rarely appeared alongside him and none of his sons were known to be heading branches.

The church was him and he was the church, each a reflection of the other.

With his death, the giant gates at his ministry's headquarters in Lagos have been sealed, and the army has been brought in to maintain order as thousands of his followers throng to the premises, wailing and bewildered.

"It was a typical one-man show, although he has disciples. It is hard to see the church going on without him," Mr Osinaike says.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-57388592

Cc lalasticlala

Na the same thing with Tecno, infinix and itel

Whether he his fake or not fake we will know on the Judgement day. On the Judgement all this men of God we will know their true colour. The man is gone rest biko, he's he a God

Damnnn niggarrrr
Isoright

Missyajoke:
Whether he his fake or not fake we will know on the Judgement day. On the Judgement all this men of God we will know their true colour. The man is gone rest biko, he's he a God

Baby girl.......
There is no judgment day
The only judgment day we have is terminator 2

Interesting

Make una allow the man and him miracles rest nah?

Only God knows those that are truly worshipping him in spirit and in truth

RIP MOG.


Wittywriter

I remember having a dream last year August that he dead. The dream was so real. I even did a voice record immediately after the dream so I won't forget. Still on my phone till this moment. RIP GOD'S GENERAL

Cool write-up

Is Church service, vigils,healing programs free to attend or one needs registration?
Are congregants forced to buy some sought of books,oil, water amounting to 5K and all of that to gain access to the church auditorium?

One significant thing I noticed about Prophet TB Joshua is that he was the ONLY Nigerian preacher who goes to national stadia and high-capacity arenas in foreign countries and attract hundreds of thousands of local worshippers (and unbelievers) in his crusades.

For the rest of the pastors who have multiple branches (parishes) all over the place, you will just notice that those who always attend their crusades outside Nigeria are Nigerians and other black people in those countries.

TB Joshua was one of the best things that ever happened to Nigeria and the Nigerian economy. This country and the world in general will miss you for the message of hope, unprecedented healings, financial breakthroughs and charity.

Rest on, Prophet.

I've never been a religious person.. But you see this man, i respect him alot.. His church was his church, and his alone. Other pastors in Nigeria their church na family business.

Life is funny. People detested this guy so much. He has suddenly become a star upon his death

Do you know many people didn't believe Jesus during his time of assignment on earth. Despites all the signs and wonders he performed they still crucified him.
So what do expect worldly people to say about TB Joshua?
Even if Jesus still come back to this world inform of human being, many we not still believe him.
Satan has occupied so many people's mind. They can condemned any man of God without regret.

Please I want to ask apart from TB Joshua helping the needy... Did he also do deliverance as people say, like miracles and all?

I'm not tryna smear him, just that the people I know that went to SCOAN for healing and miracle still came back the same.

So I wanna know if anyone really got first hand experience here?

I'm not to judge.

The man was a giver to the poor which came at the later stage of his ministry


That doesn't mean at the beginning he wasn't controversial, he actually isolated himself

We leave God to judge

Hypocrisy amidst Christianity sha..

They conspired against him to tag him fake..

I’m damnn sure one of the reasons why they’re a giant this man was the fact that he does charity that the rest don’t usually do..

You won’t see him claiming fake miracle over health matters..

He had helped a lot of sick people regain their good health, not fake via miracles but thru medicals..

See as they’re all silent including CAN..

I’m not surprised tho. Jesus was killed before Christianity was formed. There was nothing like Christianity during Jesus Christ Era..

We might not all like T.B Joshua. But he contributed to our tourism sector immensely.

5 years ago, Nigeria immigration service reported that out of every 10 whites that came to Nigeria, 6 came to visit TB Joshua's church.

The man did his part and left a mark.

Those talking rubbish about him should go and work on their own legacy

Until our dying days.....

Prophet TB Joshua lead by example helping the poor and needy. Unlike other Daddy G.Oss that were opening private school for the elites in society with the money of their poor congregation members.

i will not die at 57 repeat after me

Oyibo ppl and news caption na wah

Tb Joshua's Last moments and how he saw his death
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLvjQnN4qU0