By Peregba Jerry
Founder, TarakiriVoice newspaper,A Social Commentator, Passman Akpos has written an open letter to Guinness World Records, GWR, admonishing it to recognize late Temitope Balogun Joshua, popularly known as TB Joshua a posthumous award of the most persecuted person in modern history.
Recall that TB Joshua, prophet, televangelist and the founder of the Synagogue Church Of All Nations, SCOAN, became under fire after a British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC, documentary of purported insiders eyewitness of alleged atrocious act of the late prophet.
The controversial three-part documentary drew widespread criticism on both the BBC and TB Joshua.
While pointing out why the late prophet qualified to merit the award, Akpos, in his open letter highlighted some of the philanthropical gestures of late TB Joshua while alive, in the face of unending persecution.
Read the full letter below:
“Open Letter to Guiness World Record
“Recognize TB Joshua the Record of first posthumous persecuted man on earth
Dear Guiness World Record,
“I write to you to recognize Prophet TB Joshua as the first man in this contemporary world to be persecuted even in death.
“Temitope Balogun Joshua born on the 12th of June 1963 and died on 5th June 2021, was a Nigerian charismatic pastor and televangelist. He was the leader and founder of Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), a Christian megachurch that runs the Emmanuel TV television station from Lagos, Nigeria.
“When he was alive, he faced so many persecution in the cause of carrying out his ministerial work as a prophet, so many miracle performed by him were classified as demonic that God was not behind the miracles, that he has a special occultic power to manipulate people.
“TB Joshua was a humanitarian,He was said to have spent an estimated $20 million on education, healthcare, and rehabilitation for Niger Delta militants, supported relief efforts in Haiti earthquake (2010) and Ecuador earthquake (2016).
“T B Joshua received the National Honour, Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) in 2008, recognized by the United Nations and awarded by various organizations for his humanitarian efforts.
“These and many others are in the archive of the SCOAN. But all these does not stop him from been persecuted, day in, day out.
“Up until is death, he was been persecuted. worse still, three years after his death, he was been persecuted.
“This is seen in the early hours of Monday, January 8, 2024, when the British Broadcasting Corporation, released a three-part documentary where former disciples of the founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, the late Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua, popularly known as TB Joshua, accused the deceased prophet of various forms of physical abuse, manipulation, and performing fake miracles.
“They had also accused him of allegedly raping women, and orchestrating forced abortions in the church.
“Even before his death at the age of 57 in June 2021, two months after he was said to have suffered a stroke, the prophet had been plagued with many controversies.
“The former disciples, in the three-part documentary which lasted for over 50 minutes each, also accused the prophet of covering up the real reason behind the collapse of the church’s guest house in 2014. Official data pegs those killed in the collapse at 116 of which 84 persons were said to be South Africans.
“But despite the damning revelations by the late cleric’s former disciples from different nationalities including South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Nigeria, followers of the prophet seem unperturbed by the accusations.
“Just like in the book of Act 5:34-38 when the apostles were persecuted, one Gamaliel admonished the people to stop persecuting them, that if they are not from God they will fade out in no distance time, but if they are from God you can’t stop them.
After the BBC published the documentary, the fame of TB Joshua has spread abroad instead of deminishing.
To this end, I am appealing to Guinness world Record to recognize TB Joshua as the Record of first posthumous persecuted man on earth.
And also recognize me, the writer of this letter to be the first person to write the Guinness world record on behalf of the deceased persecuted person.
I wait patiently to hear from you.
Yours Faithfully
Passman Akpos
Founder Tarakirivoice Newspaper, a social commentator, the author of the book “The Militant with a pen”.
