It was Karl Marx who said that religion is the opium of the people. Marx was a German Philosopher and Economist who coined the phrase in 1843. In his opinion, religion is not only used by those in power to oppress the workers, (masses) but it also makes them feel better about being oppressed when they can’t afford real opium. He thought that if the comfort blanket of religion was taken away, the workers would have to do something about their terrible condition.

In most developing countries, Nigerian included, religion has been turned into an instrument to oppress the poor. Religious leaders preach the gospel of Heaven and Hell, and in the process, abuse, oppress and subjugate their followers. Yet, John Burroughs, (April 3, 1837 – March 29, 1921), an American naturalist and nature essayist, described the Kingdom of Heaven as not a place, but a state of mind. Again, Benjamin Disraeli, a British statesman, Conservative politician, and writer, who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in one of his famous quotes said: ‘Where knowledge ends, religion begins’. And because we are too lazy to seek for knowledge in Africa and other developing parts of the world, we are easily deceived by many merchants of religion.

One of those merchants was Temitope Joshua, a controversial figure in life and even more in death, who took Nigeria and the religious world by storm through his activities while on Earth.

He was in the news once again last week, when the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), released a three-part documentary on his queer activities in the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN).

In the documentary, Joshua was portrayed as a fake man of God who succeeded in pulling the wool over the eyes of many, and a man who committed several atrocities using the veil of a preacher and a man of God. In the documentary, many former members of his church revealed how they were raped, abused, and isolated from friends and family members by Joshua, who turned them to his disciples. The men among them figuratively became his slaves, while the women were turned to his sex toys.

It was an extensive investigative piece of journalism excellence by the BBC that took over three years to put together. But their findings and conclusions were not new to many seasoned journalists in Nigeria who practised in the 1990s and early 2000s in Lagos State. Kola Olawuyi, a Yoruba programme presenter, did an extensive investigative report on Joshua and his Church and came up with the verdict that the man was a fake prophet. TheNews Magazine, Tell Magazine, Treasure Weekly and several others did similar exposé on the man and his Church and came up with similar verdicts. As a journalist, once you beam your search light on him and his church, Joshua would try all he could to worm his way into your heart. He would offer you money or a job with fantastic salary, depending on his fancy. If you refuse, he would use subtle threat. If eventually you publish, he would mop up all the Newspapers and Magazine from the news stand and come after you. An instance is that of Kola Olawuyi, who eventually lost his job with Radio Nigeria as a result of his programme, Nkan nbe, (Things are Happening/Strange Things) being yanked off the air from the radio station. He became an independent producer and continued the programme on Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation (OGBC), Abeokuta.

There are several questions begging for answers on the life and times of this Muslim-born Church leader who did more harm to the body of Christ than good. Joshua pretended to have super natural power and deployed the gimmick to enrich himself by masquerading as a servant of God. As a reporter in the 1990s, my encounter with Joshua was also not too palatable. Working with the now defunct The Week Magazine, owned by former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, I was detailed by my Editor alongside a colleague, to do an investigative report on the man and his Church in 2001. What I found out was too sordid. Many of his miracles were scripted. People were hired to pose as deaf and dumb and after waving his right hand in their direction, they would fall down and their sickness would ‘disappear’. Most of his disciples were young white ladies who worshipped the ground he walked on. Despite what I knew, I needed to get his side of the story to balance my report before publishing. I booked an interview appointment with him and on the first occasion, he kept my colleague and I waiting for over three hours despite being the one that fixed the date and time. His waiting room also had closed-circuit television cameras through which he monitored the activities and conversations of visitors while in there. After several complaints about our long wait, one of his disciples took us to their restaurant for light refreshments. He later apologised that he wouldn’t be able to keep the appointment and we agreed to reschedule, and a new date was fixed.

Long story short, the same story played out, but we succeeded in having a short meeting him. When we were eventually ushered before his presence, and after stating our mission, (his disciples had asked for a copy of our likely questions), he declined to provide answers to any of them. When I became persistent, he looked deeply into my eyes and I remember becoming uncomfortable. He then offered me a job to be part of the editorial team of his Church Magazine with a promise to pay more than what I was earning at my present job. Needless to say, I never returned and that was the end of my investigation, as I completely lost interest. However, through that route, many journalists became his friends and were placed on his payroll. So, the BCC report, to many reporters and editors in Lagos was nothing new.

In spite of the documentary, some Nigerians are still in doubt, querying the motive behind the exposé when the man was no longer around to defend himself. Some even hid under the oft misused phrase in the Bible – “Touch not my anointed, and do my prophet no harm” (Psalm 105 v 15). Bunkum.

It is unfortunate that Joshua died under not-too-clear circumstances and was able to escape paying for many of the atrocities he committed while he was on Earth. In actual fact, Joshua could have paid with his life for the numerous crimes against many of those that worshipped in his church as those close to him could have been tempted to take him out. Was his sudden death investigated and cause of death made known to Nigerians? As at the time of his death, he was a prominent figure in Nigeria and all over the world, yet no word of an autopsy conducted to determine the cause of his death. Why the rush to bury him when his faith allows that he could be interred much later?

A man without formal education, Joshua was a lucky chap who knew what he wanted in life and prepared adequately to realise his objectives. Born in Arigidi Akoko in present day Ondo State on June 12, 1963, he had his primary school education at St. Stephen Anglican Primary School but soon dropped out of secondary school as his parents could not afford his education. After doing menial work, he soon found his way to Lagos where he started a Church on a swampy area in Ikotun. Within 10 years, he had become wealthy, with foreign nationals trooping to his church for religious tourism.

The presence of white men and women around him forced many Nigerians to embrace his church, including Heads of States in Africa. But he soon ran into trouble with the authorities in Cameroon, where he was banned in 2010. His church was blacklisted, having been described as an agent of Satan, hoodwinking unsuspecting members of the public with diabolical miracles. Cameroon’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Henri Eyebe Ayissi, in a communique issued titled ‘The Devil Is In The House’, described Joshua as ‘a son of the devil pretending to be a man of God’. He warned hundreds of Cameroonians trooping to his church in Lagos for miracles to desist from taking the trip or face the consequences as the country will not stand by them.

In Nigeria, many pastors found his brand of Christianity alien and his miracles funny. They stayed away from having anything to do with his church. He likewise found them of no consequence, and stayed alone. Pastor Chris Okotie of the Household of God on several occasions described Joshua as a fake man of God and a magician. Okotie, in a one hour, 15-minute-long video posted on You Tube, referred to Joshua as the ‘Wizard of Endor’, because his church was allegedly synonymous with Endor, where people look for temporary solutions to eternal problems.

But is it only Joshua that turned many Nigerians into slaves in the name of worshipping God? The answer is a capital NO, as there are several others in league with him. Reverend King is still behind bars, awaiting the hangman’s noose after he was sentenced to death for burning one of his disciples alive, eventually leading to her death. There are several other pastors still alive and with the same mode of operation. They will acquire supernatural power; some use juju and traditional African Science to acquire power, build a Church which they soon transform into a cult group. There is no week that goes by in Nigeria now without a report of rape by one pastor or Alfa (Islamic cleric) or the other who took advantage of young and not-too-young ladies among their followers in search of prayers or miracles such as seeking for the fruit of the womb, that throng their business centres masquerading as churches and asalatu.

The crux of the matter is that we have many Nigerians who have not bothered to establish a direct relationship with God and are constantly searching for an intermediary. Yet, God is with each and everyone of us. The problem of seeking a middleman to intercede between man and God will continue to fuel cases of victimization of the poor, hungry, lazy and desperate by these so-called men of God. What is even more puzzling is that the Government seems helpless about stemming the ugly trend simply because they need the same classes of Nigerians led by these ‘men of God’, to vote them to power during elections. With high numbers of those voters in the Churches and Mosques under the leadership of General Overseers, there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain by looking the other way when votes have been gathered with the help of greedy men of God who have been settled on the sidelines by vote-seekers. Attendees of religious centres would always listen to instructions of their ‘Daddies in the Lord’ and General Overseers.

Our salvation would come the day government tackles poverty and succeeds in lifting millions out of the poverty quagmire. With the high standard of living, many of our colonisers that brought religion to Africa are dropping the holy books. Some of them don’t even believe that God exists again, if they ever did. Yet, they are prosperous and living their lives to the fullest. Religion has been sold to us in Africa and it seems to be tying down our destiny. You can forgive anyone who therefore aligns with the declaration of Karl Marx, when he described religion as the opium of the mind of the people.

See you next week.

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The service was held at SCOAN premises, Ikotun,  Lagos State.

The service was one of Joshua’s burial activities.

SCOAN had,  at a news conference on June 29,   said that July 5 to July 11 would be dedicated for a series of Joshua’s  ‘laying to rest’ activities tagged: ‘Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Prophet Joshua (1963 to 2021)’.

In a tribute, Joshua’s widow, Evelyn, said that her 31 years of marriage to the late prophet was not without trials.

She said that her husband taught her to understand that  trials strengthened children of God.

“For gold to become gold, it must pass through fire,” she said.

Evelyn said that her husband was dedicated to his ministry.

“You grew the church from an eight-member assembly sitting on a mat, to the ‘level we are today’.

“You grew me to be the woman I am today.

“I stand here today to say thank you for choosing me, caring for me and nurturing me.

“Thank you for being a good father to the children, thank you for shielding me from those who were bent on soiling our lives; you were undeterred,” Evelyn said.

She said that her husband spent his life on things that would outlive him.

Evelyn said her husband’s death was peaceful, but regretted that he would no longer be seen on earth.

“It is, however, comforting that you have gone home after service; sleep on my beloved. Sleep on my God’s general,” she said.

The prophet’s first daughter, Mrs Sarah Joshua-Moshi, said that her father taught her everything she knew about the Word of God.

She said that her father created time to care for her and her siblings.

“He told me that the work of God is beautiful. Indeed you lived a life of sacrifice till your last moment on earth.

“I will truly miss your conversations with me. I will truly miss your wisdom,” she said.

Sarah added that her father dedicated his life to humanitarian service.

The prophet’s second and third daughters, Promise and Hart, also poured encomiums on him, describing him as a great man and loving father.

His son-in-law, Mr Brian Moshi, said that he lived an exemplary life of service to God and humanity.

Moshi said that his father-in-law could do many things at the same time.

“You were a great teacher, yet a good student, a lion,  yet a lamb.

“I have doubted so many times if you were human; you never waited for tomorrow to accomplish what could be done today,” Moshi said.

He described the late prophet as a trail blazer.

The event was anchored by two comedians, Gbenga Adeyinka and K. C. Brown.

A number of foreigners attended the event.

Pastor Jorge Arevalo from Honduras, and a Ghanaian, Mr Ebenezer First-Quao, read a biography of the late SCOAN founder.

In the biography, they read how the late prophet attained great heights from a humble beginning.

Source: NAN

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He died on Saturday at the age of 57.

His death was announced on TB Joshua Ministries facebook page.

The cause of his death was, however, not made known.

The statement titled Prophet TB Joshua – June 12th 1963 to June 5th 2021, reads: “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.”

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A rights body filed a complaint after reviewing at least seven videos showing the preacher conducting prayers to “cure” gay people.

Facebook has also removed at least one of the offending posts showing a woman being slapped while TB Joshua says he is casting out a “demonic spirit”.

The preacher said he was appealing against YouTube’s decision.

His YouTube account had 1.8 million subscribers.

TB Joshua is one of Africa’s most influential evangelists, with top politicians from across the continent among his followers.

Why was the account closed?

UK-based openDemocracy filed a complaint after reviewing seven videos posted on TB Joshua Ministries’ YouTube channel between 2016 and 2020, which show the preacher conducting prayers to “cure” gay people.

A YouTube spokesperson told openDemocracy that the channel had been closed because its policy “prohibits content which alleges that someone is mentally ill, diseased, or inferior because of their membership in a protected group including sexual orientation”.

A post on TB Joshua Ministries Facebook account said: “We have had a long and fruitful relationship with YouTube and believe this decision was made in haste.”

What does the video show?

The video is an update of a prayer session of a woman called Okoye, first broadcast in 2018.

In it TB Joshua slaps and pushes Okoye and an unnamed woman at least 16 times and tells Okoye: “There is a spirit disturbing you. She has transplanted herself into you. It is the spirit of woman,” openDemocracy reports.

The video which was viewed more than 1.5 million before the YouTube channel was taken down, later shows her testifying before the congregation that “the spirit of woman” had been destroying her life but she had been healed after the preacher’s prayers.

She declares that she had stopped having “affection” to women and “now I have affections for men”.

Who is TB Joshua?

The founder of the Synagogue, Church of All Nations is one of Nigeria’s most popular televangelists but is perhaps the least flamboyant of his peers.

Tens of thousands of people attend his weekly services in Nigeria’s biggest city, Lagos.

His rise to prominence in the late 1990s coincided with the explosion of “miracle” programmes performed on national TV by various pastors.

TB Joshua was often mocked for lacking the finesse of his colleagues during “deliverance” sessions – an intense prayer that resembles exorcism.

His ministry professes to heal all manner of illnesses including HIV/Aids and attracts people from all over the world.

Known as the “Prophet” by his followers, Mr Joshua runs the Christian television station Emmanuel TV and often tours Africa, the US, the UK and South America.

In 2014, one of his churches collapsed, killing at least 116 people, including many South Africans.

A coroner in a Lagos court said “the church was culpable because of criminal negligence” but he never faced any charges.

Is this the first time he’s been banned?

No.

In May 2004 the National Broadcasting Commission banned TV stations from showing programmes of pastors performing miracles on television unless they had been verified.

There were accusations that some of the miracles were fake and performed by actors.

TV stations pulled the pastors’ programmes to avoid having their licences revoked or being hit by fines from the NBC.

But as free-to-air satellite boxes became affordable and popular in many Nigerian homes, the televangelists set up broadcast facilities and continued with their “miracle” programmes.

They broadcast with state-of-the-art facilities and have dedicated channels on major satellite TV providers in Africa, showing activities of the churches and pastors non-stop.

Though was still under the NBC’s purview, they were mostly allowed to carry on.

Source: BBC

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The Joshua’s church event is tagged “Nazareth Meeting with TB Joshua,” and billed to hold on June 23 and June 24.

But the event has been roundly criticized by the people of the area and stakeholders, including churches.

According to an Israeli publication, Haaretz, campaigns were ongoing to prevent people from attending the event.

“We beg you not to play in the hands of those organizing this type of festival which is an affront to the principles of Christianity, and our national identity, and deals a blow to the social fabric of a city like Nazareth,” the people are quoted as saying.

To support their position, the churches were said to have  quoted text from the New Testament about the need for believers to be wary about false messiahs who might want to convince people they were performing miracles.

Except the Catholic church, the publication wrote, Christian and Muslim leaders were opposed to the T.B. Joshua event.

The source of Joshua’s wealth, the publication stated, was the concern of the Hadash and Youth for Change parties in Nazareth.

Said the party:  “We have asked to take an in-depth look at this issue, at why a city like Nazareth would receive such a person who is denied entry to many countries on grounds of criminal suspicions and given his links to the extreme right in Israel.

“What’s more, the man is known to have grown wealthy in a way that has raised many questions and therefore we view such a visit as an illegitimate step which contaminates the city and its historic heritage.

“And we absolutely reject the mayor’s claims that such an event would bring $1 million to the city and would see such a sum were it to actually materialise as an illegitimate contribution that would contaminate the city.”

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