Follow Us on Google
By Job Osazuwa and Vera Wisdom-Bassey
FAMILY members and worshipper of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) as well as sympathisers, yesterday, wailed as they trooped to the church’s premises at Ikotun, Lagos State, to receive the corpse of Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua popularly known as TB Joshua.
Many followers of the prophet were apparently yet to come to terms with the death of their spiritual father. They repeatedly asked no one in particular if it was true that TB Joshua was dead even while standing face to face with the lifeless body.
Led by the widow, Evelyn, and their three daughters, the corpse arrived the church at exactly 10.40am. Upon sighting the motorcade and hearse bearing the body, tears cascaded the cheeks of women and men alike.
The corpse dressed in white suit and white shoes was placed at the middle of the auditorium for all to view.
In procession, the parishioners and visitors from all walks of life across the continents were led into the church’s auditorium to pay their last respect to the man that many people have described as a philanthropist.
It took concerted efforts of security personnel, including the police, army and Department of State Services to control the crowd that thronged the entrance of the church. Everyone wanted to move as close as possible to catch a glimpse of the deceased.
The founder of SCOAN, died on June 5 after he had ministered in one of the church’s programmes a day earlier.
As they bid him farewell, the church’s ushers had a hectic day calming and consoling people whose voices rose above the loud speakers. Some of the mourners were seen being helped by ushers from collapsing. Many of the lovers of the man of God fell and rolled on the ground, saying it could not be true that their prophet was dead.
Ondo State Government House choir opened the floodgate of ministrations as the choristers sang soul-lifting songs to cheer up the weeping audience.
Eulogising the departed cleric, General Manager of Super Sports, Felix Awogu, described Joshua as a sports lover. He said the man supported sporting activities in so many ways, including discovering young talents that featured in Nigeria’s football junior national team.
TB Joshua will be laid to rest today at his church in Lagos.
The busy Ikotun-Egbe Road was closed as part of measures to ease traffic while the ceremony lasted. People were seen trekking from the major bus stop and straight to the church and beyond.
Tens of officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission, Lagos State Traffic Management Agency, and other traffic management and paramilitary agencies were ground to ensure that orderliness prevailed.
