Encomium
Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua has dismissed the rumour that a Liberian man who sought healing at Synagogue Church of All Nations died in the church. Prophet T.B Joshua who is widely known for his prophecies and miracles debunked the rumour, labelling the carriers jobless people who have lost touch with reality. In an exclusive chat with ENCOMIUM Weekly on phone on Saturday, August 16,2014 he said, ” It’s obvious the rumour cant be true because such issue is too international to be covered up. I dont respond to falsehood nor have time for such. I am too busy for such. We have debunked it”
ENCOMIUM Weekly’s check with the police on Saturday, August 16, 2014, also corroborated the church’s statement that nothing of such happened. “Ebola is a serious issue. If such a thing happened, the ministry of health would have declared such openly. It’s a blatant lie”
Meanwhile, the church recently released a statement addressing the rumour and reports linking him to the salt water farce.
The statement read in part: “Our attention has been draw to a rumour spreading in some Africa countries and online that Prophet T.B Joshua of the Synagogue Church Of All Nations in collaboration with the ministry of health, instructed the citizens of those nations battling Ebola virus to take their bathe with warm water and salt for protection and healing from the deadly Ebola Virus. We are using this medium to inform the world and especially, those nations battling this virus that Prophet T.B Joshua and SCOAN have nothing to do with such report. The message is false. It’s not from Prophet T.B Joshua’s ministry.
The Lagos state government visited the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Prophet Temitope Joshua on Sunday, August 3, 2014, to urge him not to attempt ‘healing’ ebola victims, if brought to his church.
As the deadly Ebola virus continues to wreck havoc on West African countries, the Lagos state government has stepped up its surveillance to ensure infected nationals of affected countries don’t sneak into Nigeria.
Officials of Lagos State Ministry of Health and the Federal Government visited the General Overseer of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Prophet Temitope Joshua seeking his cooperation in ensuring Ebola victims are not brought to his church for healing.
The SCOAN, a popular international church reputed for its claims of divine healing is a popular destination for sick people all over the world including the West African countries currently battling the Ebola virus.
Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, who led the delegation to the SCOAN, said the visit was in recognition that the church is an international Christian congregation whose members comprise people from all over the world including the countries of West African sub-region already affected by the disease.
The commissioner added that the visit is one of the state government’s strategies of sensitizing faith-based organizations on the need to cooperate with the government to prevent the spread of the disease in the country by educating the worshippers to report health issues to medical experts.
Idris said the Federal and Lagos state governments are working hard to prevent a spread of the virus into the country, the delegation has deemed it fit to educate and create awareness among the multinational congregation on the disease and how it can spread.
“We have our strategies that we intend to share with you. Again, we need to know the resources you have here because whether it is one or two cases, if they are allowed to get out, it is a major problem. We are here to work together on how to contain this disease,” Idris told the cleric.
Another member of the delegation and Director, Centre for Disease Control (CDC), Professor Abdulsalami Nasidi said the visit was to inform the Synagogue church leadership about the deadliness of the Ebola virus and to ensure that it does not creep into the country.
Nasidi, who is both an Epidemiologist and Virologist, said the meeting is a “positive engagement mission” saying the team is seeking the cooperation of the church in containing the virus.
“We are here to engage you positively, we know the powers of this House and your powers and we are duty- bound to protect you and your congregation. We have no doubt the power God has given you, we can’t do that, but we want to help and make it work stronger,” he said.
