The BBC documentary on the late Temitope Babatunde Joshua, also referred to as TB Joshua, who founded the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), sparked strong reactions from the organization.
In a statement dated Tuesday, January 9, 2024, and signed by Mr. Dare Adejumo, its Public Affairs Director, SCOAN rejected the documentary as unfounded, claiming that the people it had interviewed had no connection to the church. The documentary was characterized by them as “illogical, irritating, incomprehensible, unfathomable, and satanically dubious.”
The church made it clear in its statement that it was trying to clear up any misunderstandings that might have arisen from the BBC documentary, which was released on Monday.
A number of offenses, including rape accusations against certain members, were leveled against TB Joshua in the documentary.
SCOAN expressed disapproval of the BBC’s Africa Eye investigative unit, saying, “BBC World Services investigative unit, code-named Africa Eye came out this week with weird and strange episodes of atrocities against the late founder of SCOAN.”
The church contended that, even though journalism entails research and reporting, it should uphold moral standards and professionalism.
SCOAN claims that the BBC violated these values by presenting a story that was rife with propaganda and fiction, using journalism as a weapon for self-interest against a perceived foe.
“BBC has compromised these lofty principles by descending into fictional narratives and propaganda, thus turning itself into a weapon for a hatchet job as gangsters in the gab of journalism with a destructive ulterior motive for personal gains against a perceived enemy.
“Only BBC can best explain why it woefully deviated from true journalism and chose to be dishing junks and feeding the public with stones called bread by its offensive and disenchanted reports of disgruntled elements.
“This, to say the least, is insulting to our professional and public intelligence. One thing is very obvious, hundreds of BBC charades cannot rubbish the indelible footprints of TB Joshua’s legacies on earth again.”
“Those beneficiaries are all over the place and cannot be disputed that are lining up and responding angrily to this imperialist broadcasting station.
”Many of them are in the UK the home base of BBC but which its jaundiced investigative eyes cannot see but only the obviously suborned narrators!
“Myriads of broken homes reconciled by TB Joshua are also crying foul of BBC’s broadcast of iniquity. Uncountable hopeless children drawn from different parts of the world; some brought by their parents while some were picked from drug joints or brothels who have gotten their destinies restored are also pissed off by the offensive reports.
The statement went on to cast doubt on the BBC’s credibility by claiming that it relied on manipulated and disgruntled people rather than directly interviewing members of the church.
Some of these people were accused by SCOAN of having dubious pasts, including connections to lesbianism and homosexuality. SCOAN claims that this is offensive to see in the work of ostensibly well-trained reporters as well as disheartening to hear.
SCOAN questioned why the accusers waited to come forward with their claims and questioned the timing of them.
“One other clearly illogical thing in the charade is the BBC’s categorical statement that the man of God was involved in all the abuse for over two decades!
”How can that be in a nation governed by law? It shows the station’s crude disrespect and bizarre perception of Nigeria.
“Where were all those shameless interviewees in all the decades? Was it when the man passed on that they suddenly became awake or came back to their senses? Only a fool will have respect for such charlatans.”
The church expressed gratitude that the report cleared TB Joshua‘s sole wife of any wrongdoing and speculated that envy might have been the driving force behind the BBC documentary’s sponsors.
“Thank God your report exonerated his only wife of any wrongdoings throughout the decades of your so-called investigated lopsided work.
“But did you think any wife at all can see and watch all those nonsensical and annoying scenarios you painted for decades and still kept silent? I am yet to read or see such a woman in the universe!
“This is illogical, irritating, incomprehensible, unfathomable, and satanically dubious and malicious.”
