T.B. Joshua was a kind, great philanthropist - Worshippers

A large crowd converged on the Synagogue Church of All Nations, SCOAN, yesterday, to witness the lying in state of Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua, popularly called T.B. Joshua.

Prophet Joshua died on June 5, 2021, a few days to his 58th birthday.

The remains of the SCOAN founder, which were dressed in white, arrived at the church in a glass casket and was conveyed by a hearse that drove into SCOAN at about 11:00 am.

Joshua’s corpse was taken into the church through its fourth gate while being escorted by a number of security operatives.

Amid tears, a large crowd besieged the church to witness the lying-in-state and interment in honour of its late founder.

It was observed that there was a large crowd outside the church premises, as people waited patiently for their turn to view the late prophet.

Many church members and sympathizers, who wanted to catch a glimpse of the late founder, maintained a long queue before they gained entry.

The late prophet’s wife, Evelyn, daughters, Serah, Promise, Hart and son-in-law, Bryan, as well as dignitaries from outside the shores of Nigeria, were present at the occasion.

The lying-in-state is part of the week-long funeral activities in honour of the late clergyman.

The funeral rites began with a candlelight procession on Monday, while there was a service of tributes on Tuesday.

The programme was anchored by two comedians, Mr Gbenga Adeyinka and K.C Brown, who took time to call special attendees to the podium to speak about the life of the late prophet.

People from Israel were represented, while representatives of different religious groups in Israel were present.

Many worshippers, including a former vice presidential candidate in Ghana, Prof Nana Jane Opoppkuy-Agyeman; founder of Belema Oil Producing Ltd, Mr Tein and his wife, Mrs Elizabeth Jack-Rich; Manager of SuperSport, DSTV, Mr Felix Awogu described the late cleric as a kind and great philanthropist.

Prof Nana Jane Opoppkuy-Agyemang spoke highly of the prophet, while Mr Awogu, said TB Joshua was a major financier of sports in Nigeria.

He said that the prophet pulled the national team out of the financial crisis during the nation’s cup in 2013.

He said: “A lot of people don’t know what he has done for sports in Nigeria that he made us become successful in sports.

“He has also been a major supporter of special sports for the disabled athletes in Nigeria.

“I wonder how they are going to survive. He was supporting them quietly. He was so passionate about sports that he had a Football club called ‘My People FC’ which has produced a lot of young players in the national team.”

Also speaking, the founder of Belema Oil Producing Ltd, Mr Tein described the late prophet as a kind and great philanthropist, who preached love and “never discriminated against anybody.”

On his part, Pastor Modesta Montero from Ecuador said that the SCOAN founder helped his community to rebuild a school destroyed by an earthquake.

He said that the prophet donated the sum of 400,000 USD to the school and built an IT centre for them.

Montero said that Joshua taught him that “Christian life is practical and should be lived out of love for others.”