THE APPEAL OF A PROPHET
ON THE second day of TB Joshua’s funeral, his disciples took to the stage. A microphone was passed around as more than 60 disciples introduced themselves by name and nationality.
They came from 18 countries, among them South Africa, Indonesia, Nigeria, Mexico, the US and the UK. Some seemed barely out of their teens; others were in late middle age, having spent decades serving Joshua, the millionaire Nigerian pastor and self-proclaimed prophet being laid to rest in Lagos.
A senior Nigerian disciple, recently promoted to prophetess, began her tribute. “How to describe someone so indescribable?” she said. “How to define someone so indefinable? Human and divine?”
Joshua died on 5 June 2021, a few days before his 58th birthday. The news spread on social media before the Synagogue, Church of All Nations, known as Scoan, made an official announcement.
“God has taken His servant Prophet TB Joshua home,” the statement read. “As it should be by divine will.”
More than a month later, his funeral under way, there had been no mention of a cause of death.
In a city saturated with megachurches and charismatic pastors, Joshua stood out for his global celebrity. He drew huge crowds on his stadium tours across Africa, Asia and Latin America. His satellite channel, Emmanuel TV, was a presence in countless households across sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.
Before the pandemic, his church was the biggest international tourist attraction in the country. About 15 000 people would come to Scoan every week.
Many came out of desperation, hoping for healing from sickness or deliverance from evil spirits. Politicians came in the hope that
