Many stories abound on how Temitope Joshua’s birth and incidents after he was born proved that he was an ordained servant of God but one stood out. According to the popular preacher and General Overseer of the Synagogue Church of all nations(SCOAN), he spent fifteen months in his mother’s womb before he was eventually delivered on June 12, 1963.
Although the reason why some babies are long overdue in the womb is usually not known, some researchers attribute it to genetic predisposition. Also, a research work by Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care, shows that women who have already had a baby that came much later than their due date are more likely to have an overdue baby in future pregnancies.
It is also believed that the longer the baby stays in the womb, the more likely it is to be a stillbirth, or weigh too little or be more likely to have a neurological disorder. This is because the longer a baby stays in the womb the more likely the placenta is to stop functioning normally.
But somehow, little Joshua survived.
Seven days after his birth, a fatal explosion at a quarry near his house in Arigidi Akoko in Ondo state sent rocks through the roof but miraculously he survived. For the second time, the toddler survived death.
Unfortunately, the same could not be said of him on Saturday. 57-year-old Joshua died in Lagos on Saturday evening shortly after a programme held in his church. His remains had been deposited at a morgue and an autopsy would be performed forthwith. It was gathered that he gave up the ghost on the way to a hospital. He is survived by a wife, Evelyn and 3 children.
The Synagogue Church of All Nation (SCOAN) led by TB Joshua until his death has been thrown into a mourning state. Many members of the Church and followers who travelled from across the country to attend the Sunday service said the preacher’s death sent shock through their spines.
Cosmopolitan preacher
Joshua, although Nigerian-based, had followers that transcend the African continent. Dignitaries, celebrities, political office holders and many more troop into his Lagos church from Africa, Latin America, Europe and other parts of the world.
The ministry, which he claimed he started with eight members, currently attracts over 15,000 weekly attendees in the Lagos Headquarters. Apart from the physical presence at his mega auditorium situated in Ikotun area of Lagos, Joshua enjoyed large followership on social media.
The preacher had over 3,500,000 fans on Facebook and his YouTube channel, Emmanuel TV, had over 1,000,000 YouTube subscribers before it was suspended. and was the world’s most viewed Christian ministry on the platform before it was suspended over allegations of hate speech.
Also known for his philanthropy and humanitarian works, Joshua reportedly spent $20 million on “education, healthcare and rehabilitation programs for former Niger Delta militants. The preacher, through SCOAN’s scholarship program catered for the academic needs of students in their thousands, ranging from primary to tertiary education.
Moreover, several groups of Nigerians attempting illegal travel to Europe through Libya have been supported at The SCOAN following their deportation from the North African nation with only the clothes on their backs.
Failed prophecy
Amongst many prophecies, some failed and generated widespread criticism. Joshua incorrectly predicted that Hillary Clinton would win the 2016 US election but Donald Trump emerged victorious with the majority votes.
After this prophecy failed to materialise Joshua stated that he was referring to Clinton’s win in the popular vote and any misinterpretation was due to a lack of “spiritual understanding”. Also, Joshua claimed that the COVID-19 would disappear globally on March 27th, 2020 but as of today the virus had spread to over 220 countries.
While over 173 million people globally have contracted the virus, over 3 million casualties have been recorded globally, data from worldometer shows.
