The British Broadcasting Corporation’s Africa Eye has aired a three-part exposé on the purported secret lives of the late televangelist TB Joshua.
The documentary, titled “Disciples: The Cult of TB Joshua,” includes statements from former disciples and church staff who accuse the late prophet of deception and physical abuse.
The probe also looks into Joshua’s ownership of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, which collapsed in 2014, killing at least 115 people.
Here are 12 things we know about the late televangelist: T.B. Joshua
1. T.B. Joshua was born on June 12, 1963, in Ondo State, Nigeria. He was claimed to have spent 15 months in his mother’s womb.
2. T.B. Joshua attended St. Stephen’s Anglican Primary School before leaving secondary school after a year to work on a poultry farm.
3. T. B. Joshua founded The Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) in 1987 with a small number of members, which has since grown to have a large following both in and outside Nigeria.
4. He was a philanthropist who founded ‘My People FC’ football club in 2009 to support youth development. He has also financially supported football players like Sani Emmanuel and Ogenyi Onazi, as well as WBO International Light Middleweight Boxing Champion King Davidson Emenogu.
5. In 2011, Forbes ranked T.B. Joshua as Nigeria’s third-richest pastor, with an estimated net worth of $10–15 million.
6: T. B. Joshua was engaged in a 2014 SCOAN guesthouse collapse that killed 115 people and received condemnation from other clergy and the public for performing miracles in his church.
7. He had a large social media following, with over 3.5 million Facebook fans and a YouTube channel, Emmanuel TV, that had over one million subscribers.
8. He was alleged to have spent an estimated $20 million on education, healthcare, and rehabilitation for Niger Delta insurgents, as well as relief operations after the Haiti earthquake (2010) and the Ecuador earthquake (2016).
9. In 2008, he bagged the National Honor, Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR), which was recognized by the United Nations and granted by various organizations for his humanitarian services.
10. Before his demise, the late Evangelist was married to Evelyn Joshua and had three children.
11: His final public comments were “Watch and pray” and highlighted a life dedicated to Christ.
12. He died on June 5, 2021, following an evening service; his cause of death is unknown.
