*PASTOR TB JOSHUA: SUNSET FOR A BELOVED WORLD TELEVAGENLIST AND OUTSTANDING STATESMAN. THE GIFT FROM ARIGIDI AKOKO TO THE WORLD*
*By Fola Aiyegbusi*
I woke up at 3am on Sunday morning as it is customary with my sleep pattern only to see a missed call from my friend, the great prince of Akure, Prince Demola Adegoroye, on my phone. There is nothing unusual in prince calling me, it was the timing of the call that was unusual. The call came at 1a.m. I knew instantly something serious must have happened, but concluded that I was going to wait till the day further breaks before calling him back. As usual, I checked my WhatsApp messages, lo and behold, there were tens of messages all announcing the tragic news of pastor TB’s sudden death on the social media. I immediately understood prince Demola’s call. Before 3.30am, my cousin Abacha called for the totally unexpected confirmation and since then I have not gotten over this very rude shock of the untimely death of a great brother, friend, the star that shown like the Northern Star in the firmament, the gift from my Arigidi Akoko community to the Universe, a great philanthropist and an outstanding international statesman. From nowhere could one have ever imagined that death could lurk around pastor TB Joshua. He was ever full of life. But God in His awesomeness, knows the reason for this, and with total submission to Him, we give Him all the praises and honour for the life of pastor TB. My serious closeness with pastor TB actually began sonetimes in 1987 through my brother and friend of blessed memory, Alhaji Jimoh Olanipekun, who branched at the obafemi Awolowo University where I was a student then, asking me to escort him to Lagos for a visit to pastor TB who as at then was just our brother and friend. And that was the beginning of a wonderful relationship between us till he was called to glory on Saturday. Pastor TB lived in his modest one bedroom apartment in Egbe Lagos then, and we will all stay together in the room on such visits that became very frequent. Our friend Biyu Azeez would later join us and visits to him became regular outings all through to 1990. Since 1987, he would always intimate us of his calling and desire to go into God’s ministry. I still recollect that the church actually started when the room opposite his own room became vacant and he rented the room and made the room his prayer room. A couple of our friends who were aware of our closeness then often sarcastically describe Alhaji Jimoh Olanipekun, Biyu Azeez, my humble self and ofcourse his immediate senior brother Blessing, who also lived in Egbe, as the “foundation members”of his church. It is a rare privilege to have seen the humble beginning of the Synagogue church of all Nations and the present international status of the church. As the Church began to expand , so did our closeness to him too. A situation he has jokingly predicted one day. But anytime we choose to go see him, he was always available. It is quite umbelievable and astonishing to imagine the humble beginnings Pastor TB rose from and his present international stardom. He was indeed a mysterious phenomenon. The transformation of his church was extraordinary. I didn’t even realise this until May 2011 on a flight from London to New York. I sat next seat to a white fellow who had a SCOAN magazine that he was reading all through the flight. When I told him I knew the pastor whose photograph was on the cover personally, his countenance changed almost immediately. He began to look at me like a “spirit” until I “messed” it up by the number of red wine bottles I took on that flight as he concluded immediately that I could not have been as holy and spiritually filled like pastor TB even though I knew him closely. He was actually on his way back to America enroute London from a pilgrimage to SCOAN in lagos. This change the way I was looking at pastor TB completely. In our very eyes, we have seen how presidents and heads of Governments do frequently visit the man of God in his church. Nigeria’s information Minister has once said that SCOAN is the major source of tourists visits to Nigeria. I watched on Aljazeera cable network few years ago the reception accorded him in South Sudan by the country’s President and it was indeed a pride to Nigeria. Pastor TB was a philanthropist extra ordinaire. He was always there for everyone and every community at the point of need. Some of us were individual beneficiaries as well. Young and Old. The SCOAN has become an international ministry with branches across all continents. His television station is a must watch for several people. Despite being a source of envy to some people also in the Ministry, he kept on soaring on his wings like the Eagle. The more they try to bring him down, the higher his credentials go. Pastor TB was a “builder, an Architect and Engineer” put together. He would have obviously been one of the above if he had had access to formal education. I was completely taken aback when he personally conducted me round his newly constructed old site prayer city modelled after Chinese architecture. It is a site to behold for its natural beauty and ambience. Complete with artificial lake and suspended roofing. Pastor TB was an Enigma. A great man who has left an indelible mark on the sands of time. An acclaimed international figure, reputed for his simplicity and humility. He has left a shoe size too big for anyone to fit in. We are pained by your sudden death, but our God knows best. Please continue to rest in peace in the bossom of the Almighty God .
