Nigerian pastor Temitope Balogun Joshua aka TB Joshua dies at age 57

The famous Nigerian pastor Temitope Balogun Joshua aka TB Joshua dies at age 57 and the cause of his death is still unknown.

The popular but controversial Nigerian evangelical preacher Temitope Balogun Joshua has passed on from a yet to be identified cause,  according to his church post on Facebook. He was aged 57.

The preacher who is popularly known as TB Joshua, founded The Synagogue Church of All Nations, a Christian megachurch in Lagos State, Nigeria.

The father of three happened to be one of Africa’s most influential preachers with millions of television and social media followers.  Over 15,000 people from Nigeria and abroad attend his Sunday services.

“God has taken his servant Prophet TB Joshua home … His last moments on earth were spent in the service of God,” the church wrote on its Facebook page on Sunday, without providing any more details.

One of the pastor’s lawyers Olalekan Ojo  has also affirmed that indeed the Pastor has passed on.

“I confirm that the man of God, pastor TB Joshua passed away on Saturday after his evening programme,” Ojo told AFP news agency.

The preacher was one of the most respected pastors in Africa’s most populous country.

In Nigeria and many parts of Africa, he became very popular in the 1990s at a period when there was a sudden increase in televangelism .

Pastor TB Joshua also happened to be one of the most followed preachers in Nigeria and different parts of Africa.

He was also well known in South America where he had held many religious meetings.

Some controversies of the Nigerian pastor Temitope Balogun Joshua aka TB Joshua

The pastor was known for making predictions and for his claims to heal  different sicknesses, in addition to making people prosper via miracles.

However he was deemed as being controversial because according to some people, he was just making profit from gullible folks via his claims.

According to Forbes news, he had an estimated fortune that amounted to millions of dollars.

He has various influential people like many African presidents, senior government officials, international football players, musicians and other high-profile guests who have worshipped at his church.

In the month of September, 2014, the guest house of the church collapsed and led to the death of over 100 people, most of whom happened to be foreigners that travelled to Nigeria for his meetings.

Authorities stated that the building collapsed because of defects in the structure, but pastor TB Joshua insisted the building was blown up by a small plane that he claimed flew not long before it collapsed.

In the month of April, the pastor’s YouTube channel, which has over 1.8 million subscribers and 600 million views, was shut down over because allegations of hate speech against LGBTQ community.

In one of his videos that has been watched more than 1.5 million times, the pastor appeared to be hitting a woman several times in an attempt to heal her of her sexuality.

Homosexuality is illegal in Nigeria, and “homosexual acts” can lead to a 14-year prison sentence.

Furthermore, Facebook had also removed several videos on Joshua’s page, which has more than 5.7 million followers, for remarks against the LGBTQ community.

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