By Olakunle Agboola – Karl Marx viewed religion as a tool used by capitalist societies to perpetuate inequality. Religion is a social institution because it includes beliefs and practices that serve the needs of society. Religion is also an example of a cultural universal because it is found in all societies in one form or another.
TB Joshua has been a controversial figure and a pulpit tycoon in a career spanning more than 35 years. He has attracted an extensive fan base of multiple African presidents, senior government officials, and celebrities who turned to him for prayers and spiritual healing. TB Joshua and Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) has become a household name with millions of followers across the globe.
Over the years, there have been several allegations labelled against T.B Joshua and the Synagogue Church of All Nations, but not as profoundly detailed as the recent documentary made by BBC. The three-hour documentary on BBC iPlayer or YouTube Channel is poignant but subjective to different perspectives and submissions.
Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) is a mega-church founded in Lagos in 1987 and led by T.B. Joshua until he died in 2021. The church has been a centre of contentious miracles that got a lot of people talking, not only in Africa but across the globe. The curiosity of authenticating those miracles on TV drew many people to the church as many were turned to his disciples.
BBC Documentary on T.B Joshua focused on his disciples, and these are people who have worked with him for more than a decade. According to the BBC, there are about 150 of his disciples who lived inside T.B. Joshua’s estate in Lagos. In him, they found a prophet, a miracle worker and a holy man who cured illnesses, changed fortunes, and solved every other problem. As many of the disciples testified in the documentary, he was seen as a father, and they called him daddy.
The documentary, which aired on Monday, uncovered the life of T.B Joshua and the mask behind his veneer of holiness cum charitable disposition. According to the documentary, Joshua is a ritualist who perpetrated abuse and tortured his disciples. The Documentary lasted a two-year investigation, in collaboration with an international media platform (OpenDemocracy). The documentary featured more than 25 eyewitnesses and alleged victims, from the UK, Nigeria, Ghana, US, South Africa, and Germany.
Detailed allegations of physical violence or torture were alleged to be carried out by Joshua, including instances of child abuse, manipulation, harassment, bullying, degrading treatment, molestation, and rape. Violation of human rights is a serious offence that triggers a cascade of psychological, physical, and interpersonal problems for victims that, in turn, influence the functioning of the surrounding social system.
This is the case of Rae, a British citizen who narrated how she left the UK and abandoned her university to come to Lagos in search of a solution to homosexual practices. She could not find a solution but turned to one of T.B. Joshua’s disciples. Rae never knew how 12 years dwindle like a burning candle, and the psychological ordeal is that she was subjected to sexual abuse and molestation. She was depressed, and she attempted to commit suicide five times.
Rae’s account of depression and violation of human rights is common in many places within the religious circle in Nigeria. There are so many who have been abused, molested, and raped by their religious leaders, and find it difficult to speak out. Who will listen to them, when many religious leaders have a close tie with political leaders and cannot be brought to book? They are so powerful and have bought the system with money. They cover their escapades with a charitable disposition, while the ignoramus who are direct beneficiaries of money, scholarships, miracles, and gifts will defend them not knowing they are defending a monster with two faces.
One of the highlights of the BBC Documentary is how Joshua and his church faked, and exaggerated miracles broadcasted to millions of viewers around the world. One of the disciples gave an account of how individuals were instructed and trained to amplify their problems for healing. He concluded that camera technique and post-production make those miracles look real, while many are deceived all over the world by streaming on YouTube or watching Emmanuel TV.
A lot of people have argued the authenticity of T.B Joshua’s miracle on social media. Also, many have attested to have witnessed and experienced his miracles being perfectly healed of their previous predicaments. The other side of perception is that Joshua stage-managed miracles as they concluded that nothing changed in their predicaments or their loved ones.
The collapse of the Synagogue guest house in September 2014 was one of the highlights of a BBC Documentary. It was attested that 116 people lost their lives in the horrific scene that subjected their families to perpetual sadness. Joshua at the time blamed the collapse of the building on an aircraft that flew over the building, which he claimed he was the subject of attack. Emmanuel, a former Church worker in the documentary attested that this was entirely false, and narrated the building had a structural defect before it collapsed. Rae attested that the building collapse is a prime example of life under T.B Joshua and sweeping truth under the carpet has become a norm.
The documentary has continued to trigger mixed reactions on social media while Nigerians have continued to question the legitimacy of the documentary.
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