Exclusive: Inside the Synagogue, Church of All Nations — one of Nigeria’s biggest tourist attractions
Nigeria is home to a couple of
megachurches that have evolved into self-contained cities, providing services
like electricity, water, accommodation and good roads to members and
visitors.
One of such religious organisations
is The Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) which is regarded as the most
visited destination by religious tourists in West Africa.
The Maravi Post got a chance to visit
this global pentecostal denomination and found a bakery, automobile service
area, 5-star restaurants, lodges and even a makeshift zoo.
“Good morning” is the first thing I
hear as soon as I get to the Synagogue, Church of All Nations
(SCOAN) in Ikotun-Egbe, Lagos, Nigeria. It is founded by
Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua.
I was there on a special invitation
from the church to appreciate what God is doing to his children across the
global through the healing power of Prophet TB Joshua
I hear this greeting again as I step
into the waiting area where I spot a television airing a service on Emmanuel
TV, a Christian television station founded by the general overseer
commonly known as Prophet T.B. Joshua. It has over 1,000,000 YouTube subscribers.
Hearing this for the second time
piqued my curiosity since it was clearly afternoon, no longer morning, by the
time I get there. I turned to ask a member of the church who says that this
phrase is used regardless of the time of the day. “We greet according
to the promises of God,” he explains.
This ‘prophetic greeting’ is based on
Psalm 30:5 — “For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is
life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” (KJV)
A day inside this popular
megachurch
I’m still mulling over this
interesting greeting when I’m led inside by someone in the media department.
Outside the church looks pretty amazing but inside leaves me awestruck. SCOAN
is built with impressive stones, wood and beautiful stained glass windows. It
also has a beautifully lit fountain behind the altar and portrayals of the last
supper.
SCOAN is so huge, it looks like
something from a game or movie set. Reportedly, a Sunday service attracts a
minimum of 150,000 attendees every week and the building (empty at the time
except for a few staff) looks capable of sitting this many people.
I’m taken upstairs to the media room
then downstairs to the church-owned printing press. SCOAN publishes its
pamphlets and books including the four written by T.B Joshua. It also has a
supermarket close by.
The second part of the tour begins
when I’m taken outside to the other side of the road. This part is outside of
the main church but it still belongs to SCOAN. Here, you have the bakery,
medical section, a gym, 10 ambulances in the automobile service area, two kinds
of accommodation — one for average guests while the high end, complete with an
elevator, is reserved for important guests like celebrities, ministers
and even presidents.
This section also has an area for the
children and a zoo with dogs and a couple of exotic birds. I’m told that the
Man of God likes to spend time here. As I’m led out of the compound, I notice a
couple of tents. My guide tells me that this is the overflow reserved for the
thousands who are unable to sit in the main church.
According to the Nigerian
Immigration Service, six out of every ten foreign travellers coming
into Nigeria are bound for the SCOAN. Reportedly, the church attracts more
weekly attendees than the combined number of visitors to Buckingham
Palace and the Tower of London.
“About two million local and inbound
tourists” visit The SCOAN annually, The Guardian reported a
few years ago. They all flock to the church to see the Man of God who has made
a name for himself with his prophecies and by
‘healing’ everything from Cancer to AIDS.
He appears rather humble, almost shy
as he takes my hand and introduces himself. We exchange a few words before I’m
led away by the guide who proudly tells me about how down to earth his Man of
God is. My tour comes to an end when I’m taken to one of the church’s 5-star
restaurants. Here, I notice once again that all the TVs are only showing
services from the Emmanual network. I wait here until my ride comes.
The Prophet TB Joshua effect
The SCOAN founder came out of nowhere
and slowly turned his small ministry into a mega-church with
its own self-contained city run on funds from his members and people who
believe in him.
SCOAN has had a strong effect on the
surrounding area. All the parts leading to the church have people selling
life-sized portraits of Prophet T.B. Joshua. Hotels, restaurants and other
establishments around the area also enjoy business from the thousands that
flock the church every other week.
This explains why many stakeholders
in the tourism sector fought against Prophet T.B Joshua’s proposed relocation to Isreal in
2017 arguing that Nigeria would lose billions of
naira.
Mrs Ime Udo, the Vice
President of the Nigerian Association of Tour Operators (NANTA) told
pressmen that “Religious practices both under the auspices of
Christianity, Islam and traditional practices have in no small way contributed
to the development of tourism in the world.
“The local community; hotel
operators, food vendors and others around SCOAN must have benefitted from
tourists. SCOAN has, no doubt, contributed immensely to the tourism profile of
Nigeria with several heads of government from various African countries that
had visited there to seek spiritual restoration and advise from Pastor TB
Joshua.”
Commenting on the relocation rumors,
a hotel operator named Anthonia Chuks, told the press that it would
have a negative effect on the hospitality business in that area and the state.
“Ninety–five per cent of guests that
lodge in hotels in the community are international and local visitors outside
Lagos and they are SCOAN members. We have over 130 rooms and are always fully
booked every weekend. We usually enjoy huge patronage from Fridays to Sundays
weekly; and they are mostly SCOAN members from near and far,” she
explained. The preacher has remained in the country.
Over the years, the Man of God has
become one of the wealthiest preachers in Africa with an estimated net worth of
$10 million — $15 million according to Forbes.
Apart from his ministry, he is well known for giving over $20 million to
several causes in education, healthcare and rehabilitation programs for former
Niger Delta militants. Since he has no known business, it is safe to assume
that this comes from his ministry, which is tax-exempt in Nigeria because of
its charity status.
To critics who say these big churches
should be taxed, pastors argue that the charity work done should exempt them.
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