TB Joshua

TB Joshua
TB Joshua in 2014.
Born
Temitope Balogun Joshua

(1963-06-12)12 June 1963
Arigidi Akoko, Nigeria
Died5 June 2021(2021-06-05) (aged 57)[1]
Lagos, Nigeria
Occupations
SpouseEvelyn Joshua
Children3
WebsiteThe Synagogue, Church Of All Nations, Emmanuel TV

Temitope Balogun Joshua (12 June 1963 – 5 June 2021) was a Nigerian charismatic pastor and televangelist. He was the leader and founder of Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN),[2] a Christian megachurch that runs the Emmanuel TV television station from Lagos, Nigeria.

Joshua was widely known across Africa and Latin America and Investigated by BBC News [3][4] and had a large social media presence with over six million fans on Facebook.[5] His YouTube channel, Emmanuel TV, had over one million subscribers and was the most-viewed Christian ministry on the platform[6] before the channel was suspended by YouTube in 2021 for alleged homophobic hate speech. Joshua was described by media outlets as the "Oprah of Evangelism"[7] and "YouTube's most popular pastor".[8]

Joshua was awarded various accolades, notably receiving the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) by the Nigerian government in 2008[9] and being voted the Yoruba man of the decade by Pan-Yoruba media outlet Irohin-Odua.[10] He was called one of Africa's 50 most influential people by Pan-African magazines The Africa Report and New African Magazine.[11][12] By 2011, according to Forbes, Joshua was Nigeria's third-richest pastor,[13] although the claim was immediately denied in a statement by the church.[14]

Joshua was a prominent public figure throughout his life, known for both his religious outreach and humanitarian works, as well as controversies, including being blacklisted by the government of Cameroon in 2010. He died on 5 June 2021 after one of his evening services in Lagos, Nigeria, just one week prior to his 58th birthday.[15][16]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference death was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Prophet TB Joshua". Scoan.org. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  3. ^ Olawunmi, Akintola (11 November 2017). "TB Joshua: Christianity Needs A Human Face". Nigerian Tribune. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  4. ^ "Popular Nigerian megachurch preacher T.B Joshua dies after Church program". Daily Post. 6 June 2021. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  5. ^ Mpamugoh, Simeon (26 December 2017). "T.B. Joshua: Boosting Tourism With Religion". Daily Sun (Nigeria). Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  6. ^ Olowookere, Dipo (27 October 2018). "TB Joshua's Emmanuel TV Hits 1m YouTube Subscribers, 387m Views". Business Post (Nigeria). Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  7. ^ Palet, Laura (18 September 2016). "The Millionaire On God's Payroll". OZY. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  8. ^ Oshin, Tope (27 September 2016). "TB Joshua Honoured In Peru After Crusade In South America's Largest Stadium". Signal (Nigeria). Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  9. ^ Umem, James (23 December 2008). "Adeboye, TB Joshua Absent At National Awards". Vanguard. Archived from the original on 29 May 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  10. ^ "Awo, Soyinka, TB Joshua listed as Yoruba icons". Nigerian Tribune. 20 February 2015. Archived from the original on 28 February 2015.
  11. ^ "The 50 Most Influential Africans". The Africa Report. 30 September 2012. Archived from the original on 31 January 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  12. ^ "2012: 100 Most Influential Africans". New African Magazine. 26 December 2012. Archived from the original on 15 February 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  13. ^ "Pentecostalism in Africa: Of prophets and profits". The Economist. 4 October 2014. Archived from the original on 3 October 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  14. ^ Makhaya, Trudi (17 September 2014). "Evangelical wealth". ENCA (South Africa). Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  15. ^ "Prophet T.B. Joshua is dead at 57". Peoples Gazette. 6 June 2021. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  16. ^ "Pastor T.B Joshua don die". BBC News Pidgin. 6 June 2021. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.