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Tears, tributes as Prophet T.B Joshua is buried
The remains of far-famed Nigerian Prophet Temitope Joshua, better known as T. B Joshua have been buried amid tears from his admirers, teeming followers and public figures.
The burial took place at the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) in Lagos after an interment service attended by dignitaries including Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State.
Friday’s burial was the culmination of a week-long funeral rites that attracted hoards of people across the globe.
His followers regarded him as charismatic and down-to-earth. Photo: Emmanuel TV.
The preacher’s body arrived at the SCOAN premises in the Ikotun-Egbe area of Lagos on Thursday.
An umbrella organisation comprising of numerous Christian denominations, – the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), which previously had a frosty relationship with the late cleric , sent a delegation to the burial but many mega-pastors in Africa’s most populous nation were absent.
It was also observed that outside the SCOAN premises, many flags belonging to different nations were flown at half-mast.
The mourners came from the Caribbean and South Africa, among others, a reflection of T.B Joshua’s followership which stretched beyond the Nigerian borders.
Hundreds of residents in the Ikotun area lined the streets on Thursday to watch T. B Joshua’s hearse.
Although many of them are not members of his mega-church, but, they have been impacted by the preacher’s charitable works and the industry created by SCOAN.
Paying tribute to the Ondo-born televangelist who rose to prominence in the 1990s, Governor Akeredolu described TB Joshua’s death as a loss to humanity.
He noted that the preacher who attracted thousands of worshippers to his mega-church was a special breed, admitting that the mammoth crowd that attended his burial eclipsed what was recorded during the funeral of South Africa’s foremost freedom fighter, Nelson Mandela.
Prophet T.B. Joshua had a teeming followership that stretched beyond Nigeria’s borders.
His words. “I’m not too sure we’ve had the world so congregated in this number from different countries in many such services, maybe, that of Nelson Mandela but the world is more represented here than when Nelson Mandela was buried.
“Indeed, it was and is being globally acknowledged today by all of us”, the governor said of Prophet T B Joshua, who was credited with predicting some global events.
T.B Joshua died on June 5th in Lagos after holding a church service. The cause of his death is unknown.