T.B Joshua Buried At SCOAN As Famous Nigerian Pastors Shun Funeral
***Govs, others pay tribute
BY CHIKA OKEKE with Agency Report
Founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua was on Friday laid to rest in the church premises at Ikotun, Lagos State.
The popular televangelist died on June 5 , barely seven days to his 58th birthday.
Born on June 12, 1963, his last appearance was on 5th June, 2021 during the Emmanuel TV Partners Meeting with the theme, “Time for everything – time to come here for prayer and time to return home after the service.”
The church had at a news conference on June 29 said that July 5 to July 11 would be dedicated for a series of Mr Joshua’s ‘laying to rest’ activities tagged: ‘Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Prophet Joshua (1963 to 2021)’.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that people from different races, cultures and countries gathered to give final respect to the late preacher.
Before the interment of the late preacher, his burial service was held and Bible passages read.
The first Bible reading, taken from Ist Corinthians 15: 51 – 57, was taken by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo, after which Stephen Ogedengbe of the Wisdom of Chapel Ministry explained the passage.
The cleric urged Christians to emulate the exemplary life of love lived by the late founder of SCOAN.
Mr Ogedengbe said: “The character of a true believer is to find refuge in our Lord Jesus".
“That is why children of God are not afraid in reaching the final destination – death".
”Heaven is our home, our dwelling place.”
According to him, Mr Joshua had always mentioned that those from above longed to be there.
Ayoub Kara, a minister from Israel, took the second Bible reading from Revelation 21: 1- 7, while Robert Acosta, a pastor from Argentina, peached a sermon from it.
However, prominent Nigerian pastors were visibly absent at the laying-to-rest ceremony. They include Pastor Lazarus Muoka, the General Overseer of The Lord's Chosen Charismatic Revival Movement; Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church also known as Winners Chapel and W.F Kumuyi of Deeper Life Bible Church.
Others include Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG; Pastor Paul Enenche of Dunamis Church; Dr Daniel Olukoya, General Overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries and among others.
Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his Ondo State counterpart, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu also paid glowing tribute during the burial ceremony of Late T.B Joshua.
Sanwo-Olu said that Nigeria and the entire world lost a rare prophet, adding that the SCOAN founder lived a purposeful life.
He was represented by the state Commissioner for Home Affairs, Mr Olarenwaju Elegusi.
According to him, Joshua will be remembered as a general in God’s vineyard and someone who dwelt among commoners but became uncommon.
"He toed the line of St. Paul in his ministry, combining faith and work to get people out of the wools".
"As a people, we have benefitted in one way or the other from his humanitarian service that he openly gave to all and sundry across the globe".
"As a people, we must be determined to profess and put in practise, unity, love and tolerance for one another the way the late prophet lived for us, to advance our society and gain salvation", Sanwo-Olu said.
In his tribute, Akeredolu said the demise of the prophet as a huge loss to humanity, describing him as someone with uncommon gift from childhood.
"He started early to perform wonders among his peers right there in his native town".
“He would tell his peers that something was going to take place in so and so time, but his friends would doubt him until when the time came and what he said would come to pass"
“His miracle and prophesy lifestyle was not a fluke as being viewed in some quarters. The man paid the price before reaching stardom,” Akeredolu said.
The governor said that the positive impact of Joshua’s mission was visible in many communities.
“Even as a person, I benefitted from his largesse as a governor-elect; he gave me cash to assist me to entertain guests before my inauguration".
“He is one who did not forget his roots, as he contributed well in making life better for his people in Ondo by giving scholarships to indigent students, paying huge electricity bills for four local government areas in Ondo, and providing transformers for them to restore electricity,” he said.
The governor stated that Joshua’s lifestyle was worthy of emulation.
Akeredolu said that Joshua’s love for the less privileged inspired him into social service ministry that resulted in the growth of his church.
He said that Joshua’s legacies should be supported to continue to grow in spite of his departure.
The governor urged Nigerians to look inwards and develop their God-given gifts for the benefit of the society.
Other eminent personalities, including the chief executive officer of Ovation Media Group, Dele Momodu; International gospel singers, Shirley Murdock and Byron Cage; and wife of the Ooni of Ife, Olori Naomi Adeyeye honored the late preacher.
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