Meet Prophet TB Joshua, the Main Man at the Synagogue

Enigmatic in many people's estimation, Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua, founder of Synagogue Church of All Nations, is one man few words can hardly describe, like the large following he enjoys.

Wherever he goes, the people follow him. From Nigeria to Liberia, South Africa to Zimbabwe and even to other parts of the world, he is mobbed in grand style whenever he makes an entry. He is no messiah, but the multitudes follow him for preaching the Messiah. And like the early apostles, he has endured persecution in different forms.

Born on June 12, 1963 in Arigidi, Ondo State, South-West Nigeria, Joshua has mysteries following him even as a child. Reports once claimed he spent about 15 months in his mother's womb instead of nine months and narrowly escaped death after a quarry explosion near his family home almost ended his life barely one week after he was delivered.

Though, described as "small pastor" while still in primary school because of his love for the Bible, TB Joshua, according to his biography, never finished even one year in secondary school.

But having shrugged off those shaky beginnings, the cleric is today regarded as one of Africa's 50 most influential people and one of the most revered preachers in the world. For his humanitarian efforts, Federal Government in 2008 decorated him with the national honour of Officer of the Federal Republic.
Joshua's church empire did not just take a strategic location on the religious map – the success seen today followed years of underground work and rigorous effort by all those who believed in its future...

Starting out with a handful of members a few years back, the Synagogue Church of All Nations today records as much as 15,000 worshippers for a Sunday service alone while thousands more troop to the church from other parts of Nigeria and beyond for the rest of the week in desperate search for different spiritual answers. Respected British tabloid, The Guardian once reported that the SCOAN situated in Ikotun, a suburb of Lagos, Nigeria's commercial power house, attracts more weekly attendees than the combined number of visitors to Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London. As a result of constant growth over recent years, the church has established branches in Ghana and the United Kingdom.

But despite the expansion and growth of his ministry, Joshua has constantly come under rash criticism from many who question his prophecies and his claims of miracles. Thousands of visitors besiege the church each week for prayers from the preacher and his "Wise Men." The church has published numerous videos claiming to document the healing of incurable disabilities and illnesses such as HIV/AIDS but many see them as mere propaganda.

The use of 'anointing water' has also been a hotly debated issue with many doubting the healing power of such items as claimed by the Ondo-State-born prophet. The 'water' sparked controversy when four people died in a stampede in Joshua's Ghanaian branch last year when an unadvertised service where it was being distributed drew huge crowds far beyond the church capacity, leaving Ghana's capital city Accra, scampering for breath.

That is not all. The controversies also extend to the areas of 'deliverance' of people allegedly possessed by evil spirits. A classic example is the case of the wife of former Ghanaian national team goal keeper, Richard Kingson, who was purportedly freed of an evil spirit which was responsible for her husband's failure to land a good contract with an established European football team for years. Reports say after that encounter, Kingson secured a contract with Turkish club, Balikesirspor. But the Ghanaian pair denied the claim, leaving Joshua at the mercy of critics.

The SCOAN also claims that Joshua has successfully predicted events in the lives of individuals who attend his church services as well as worldwide events, including a prophecy of Michael Jackson's death, the Boston bombing attacks in America and the outcome of two African Cup of Nations final matches, which were won by Zambia and Nigeria respectively.

His alleged prophecy about the death of an African president was widely reported in African press. Joshua's followers believe the prophecy concerned the former president of Malawi Bingu wa Mutharika who died in 2012. After his death, Joshua's message about involving youth in politics reportedly influenced Malawi's former president Joyce Banda in her choice of a youthful vice presidential candidate in the upcoming Malawian elections.

Joshua's prophecy about the crash of Malaysian Airlines MH370 several months before the incident attracted international media attention with its accompanying YouTube video going viral and amassing over 900,000 views in weeks.

BY ERIC DUMO