His Claim to Have Been in the Womb for 15 Months and Other Facts About TB Joshua
On the night of Saturday, June 5, news surfaced online that one of the popular pastors in Nigeria, Temitope Balogun Joshua of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), had passed on.
The news, which has been confirmed by TB Joshua Ministries on Facebook, has left many of his congregants in shock and pain. His life has been an interesting one, filled with mystery and some controversy. Briefly News takes a look at some interesting and little-known facts about the late self-proclaimed prophet
PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Briefly.co.za News on your News Feed!
According to the report, the cleric, who is popularly called TB Joshua, spoke during the Emmanuel TV Partners Meeting held on the day of his death.
Source: Getty Images
As his family, friends, the church and the nation mourn the death of the man of God, Briefly News highlights some important facts about him.
His "strange" birth
It is widely known that babies are born in nine months time except on very rare occasions. Well, Joshua's was one of such rare occasions. At a gathering marking his 55th birthday in 2018, the man of God recounted the mysterious events that surrounded his birth.
According to him, he was in his mother's womb for 15 months, Nigerian Tribune reports. He finally arrived the world on June 12, 1963, in the small village of Arigidi in Akoko, Ondo state, Nigeria.
Life in school
He attended six colleges in less than one year. The cleric however failed to complete secondary school education because of poverty. In school, teachers and colleagues called him ‘small' pastor.
His family
The televangelist was married to Evelyn Joshua and they have three children together. His eldest daughter Serah Joshua is a graduate of the London School of Economics.
Rush for anointing water
People from around the world throng the SCOAN headquarters in the Ikotun district in Lagos seeking healing. The man of God had special water which is in small bottles and was said to position users "for mercy, favour, healing, deliverance, blessing, prosperity and fruitfulness".
It is said that if you can obtain this "healing water" your miracle is on its way even without being physically present at the church.
Other hot-selling church products
Asides from the healing water, the church also has car stickers, books and special oils which are hot-selling items.
Failed attempt to join the army
He reportedly attempted to join the Nigerian Army but couldn't because the train he was travelling in broke down, leaving him stranded en route to the military academy.
A philanthropist
Joshua was a well-known philanthropist and has been known to give out cash gifts and foodstuff including other material gifts, to the poor and downtrodden who visit his church.
His net worth
Joshua was one of the richest pastors in the world. In 2011, Forbes reported that he was the third richest pastor in Nigeria with an estimated net worth of $10 million - $15 million.
TB Joshua comes bearing gifts
On Wednesday, December 30, the cleric was seen visiting a woman believed to be 142 years of age.
Joshua gifted her some cash for the festive period. In the video posted on his Twitter page, the synagogue church founder urged the woman to seek God's mercy because her journey in this world is coming to an end.
He told her to settle any rift she might have had with anybody at any time in her lifetime. He urged her to send her children to settle the rift.
Enjoyed reading our story? Download BRIEFLY's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news!
Source: Briefly News
Sibusisiwe Lwandle (Head of Entertainment) Sibusisiwe Lwandle is the Head of Entertainment at Briefly News (joined in 2019). She holds one Bachelor of Arts (BA) and one Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree from the University of Cape Town and the University of KZN respectively. She has over 10 years of experience in journalism, having worked in print, online and broadcast media. She has worked at Independent Media and 1KZNTV and has contributed columns to the Washington Post. Passed set of trainings by Google News Initiative. Email: sibusisiwe.lwandle@briefly.co.za
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
