INTRO
“He didn’t come from the palaces of power or the polished podiums of privilege. He came from the dust, the streets, the people. And in the people, he found his purpose. This is the story of Prophet TB Joshua—four years after the world said goodbye.”
ROOTS IN THE EARTH
The story begins in Arigidi Akoko, a small town in Ondo State, Nigeria. Here, on June 12, 1963, Temitope Balogun Joshua was born—a child of myth, marked from birth. He would later say he spent seven days in the womb after his mother’s labor began, a sign, many believed, of divine preservation.
TB Joshua never wore the robes of the elite. He didn’t speak with polished theological jargon. Yet, in 1987, with just a handful of followers, he founded the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN). It would grow into one of the most influential ministries on the African continent, drawing pilgrims from across the globe.
His sermons weren’t just words—they were encounters. Broadcast to millions through Emmanuel TV, TB Joshua’s ministry became a lifeline to the desperate, the sick, and the forgotten.
For TB Joshua, faith was action. He wasn’t just a preacher; he was a servant. A man who gave endlessly, quietly, and personally.
When Haiti was rocked by an earthquake in 2010, Joshua didn’t send only prayers. He sent doctors, volunteers, aid. When students couldn’t afford school, he paid their fees. When widows wept in silence, he restored their joy with cash gifts and homes. From disaster zones in the Philippines to inner-city slums in Lagos, his hand was visible.
And he healed—not only spiritually, but physically. Whether in mass deliverance sessions or personal prayers, he was regarded by millions as a vessel of divine power. From wheelchair-bound pilgrims to those battling terminal illness, people walked away with stories of unexplainable transformation.
But the same hands that blessed millions also stirred controversy.
In September 2014, a tragic building collapse within the SCOAN premises claimed over 100 lives. The aftermath was chaotic, painful, and political. Critics questioned the church’s structural integrity. Joshua insisted on spiritual warfare. The legal battles and public debates lingered long after the rubble was cleared.
Then came the accusations—from former disciples, foreign media, and skeptics. Claims of control, manipulation, and excessive reverence. To some, he was a prophet. To others, a puzzle. In life, TB Joshua walked the razor’s edge between deep reverence and deep suspicion.
But even as controversy swirled, the faithful remained. And they came in their thousands.
June 5, 2021. The prophet was gone. No long illness. No televised hospital vigil. Just a quiet passing after a service, as if his final sermon had been spoken.
His death sent shockwaves across nations. For many, it wasn’t just the end of a man, it was the end of a spiritual era. SCOAN’s gates welcomed weeping crowds. Lagos’ local economy—once fueled by international pilgrims—felt the vacuum.
His wife, Evelyn Joshua, stepped forward, taking the reins of a legacy that was both sacred and fragile. Her leadership steadied the ship, but the aura of TB Joshua; the energy, the mystery, remained unmatched.
In the years since, SCOAN has preserved his message. Annual memorials are held. Charity works continue. His voice, his teachings, and his miracles archived through thousands of videos, still circulate online.
His spiritual children, some of whom have started their own ministries, now carry fragments of his mantle.
Yet through all these extensions of his legacy, one truth emerges: TB Joshua’s greatest gift may have been restoring hope to those the world had written off.
EPILOGUE
Four years after his passing, the memory of Prophet TB Joshua remains strong. His ministry may no longer carry the weight of his physical presence, but the impact of his work continues to resonate—in the quiet corners of communities he once touched, and in the voices of people whose lives were changed through his prayers, his charity, and his message.
His legacy is not without complexity. There are questions that may never be fully answered, and views that will remain divided. Yet what endures is the influence of a man who believed deeply in service, who reached millions with compassion, and who, for many, made faith feel personal and real.
Prophet TB Joshua is no longer here—but his life’s work still speaks, quietly but powerfully, in the hearts of those who believed in his calling.
