Headline

How TB Joshua Made Childless Couples To Exchange Spouses – Ex-worker Reveals

Published

3 years ago

January 12, 2024

Editor

Following a controversial documentary by the BBC on the founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, Pastor Temitope Joshua, a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Debo Akinyemi, in a write-up published by ChurchTimes Nigeria, shares his experiences when he worked for the late pastor.

Having related closely, though for a short time, with TB Joshua as a journalist, I feel a compelling need to weigh in on the controversy trailing the recent expose released on him by BBC.

The argument in favour and against the BBC documentary shows that opinion is divided as to whether he was a genuine man of God or not.

Let me submit that from my personal view he was neither here nor there. It was difficult to place him because of his almost perfect outward posturing and inner suspicious conduct. Those who judged TB by his looks and humility fail to draw from the biblical saying that outward appearance could be deceptive.

I first set my eyes on him in the late 90s when he was still an itinerant white garment prophet. He used to visit Today’s Choice, the soft-sell magazine where I worked as the Sports Editor.

His points men then were our editor Osa Irabor and News Editor, Jide Oshokoya. The purpose of his frequent visits then was to curry publicity for the small things he was doing then as an upcoming church owner.

But later our paths crossed again. And this time he had become a big brand, even if controversial. One of my friends had informed me of a vacancy in The Exclusive, a quaint weekly Newspaper he was publishing. Initially, I didn’t know TB Joshua had anything to do with the paper because his name never appeared in the list of management and board members.

But when I discovered that he not only owned the paper but also had almost a choke hold on the management of the paper, I became scared and wanted to turn down the appointment given to me as the deputy editor of the paper.

I had to go and seek counsel from my provincial pastor who encouraged me to take up the appointment and do my job with as much professional detachment as possible. It did not take long after joining the paper when I began to notice very disturbing developments.

He was nocturnal

First and foremost, I noticed TB Joshua was a man of the night. He would summon us the senior editorial staff to his church for meetings fixed for 5 or 6 pm but would never show up until 12 or 1 am the following morning. And when he eventually showed up the matter for which he called us could be very mundane. And the meeting itself hardly lasted longer than 10 minutes.

But while keeping us waiting he would feed the team to bursting with sumptuous meals, many times, jollof or fried rice heaped to the skies with huge chunks of chicken.

Being a spiritually sensitive person I never tasted the food, though it was always highly attractive. I was always remembering Daniel and the King’s portion in the bible. My colleagues who could have much more than normal usually would eat my portion.

The next thing would be a directive from the prophet for us to go and pass the night in places prepared for us on the premises of the church. Again I avoided joining others to sleep there. I found it funny that our publisher would deliberately invite us for a meeting and ensure we were not able to go back to our houses.

So I would insist on going home. In fairness to him, he never stopped me or any other member of the team from leaving. He once directed the driver of his security backup vehicle to drop me in front of my house in Ota, Ogun State by 3 am. So those who stayed back chose to do so out of their own volition or probably in excessive deference to the man.

Generous with funds

But one thing I could not avoid was the bulky envelope filled with money that he always handed out to us at each meeting.

You could open your envelope and find as much as 25,000. Just as you could be summoned to another meeting the following day or each day the rest of the week after which the envelope would go round. It never mattered if you had not touched the handout of the previous meetings where nothing of importance was discussed.

Sometimes he would just say the meeting was to commend some of us for the stories we wrote. This seemed to make him the toast of the team except me. This generosity seemed more subversive than anything else. What publisher would call meetings to disrupt editorial schedules just to share envelopes?

Disciples lived regulated lives

The frequent visit to the place on his invitation made it possible for me to observe some of the inner workings of TB’s church. He kept a large flock of special workers labeled disciples, many of whom were gorgeous, ravishing young ladies.

He forbade the disciples from any form of secular job, though many of them had second or even third degrees. They were not permitted to own any savings or carry money on them anytime. But their needs were adequately met.

They only needed to make requisitions for whatever material needed like clothes, shoes, and bags, and seek TB’s approval. The materials would be supplied promptly. Of course, they fed free of charge and lived in the hostels built by the church.

But they lived a highly regulated life that made them appear like soulless robots. They lived more in fear of the prophet than God. They also seemed to have taken an oath of secrecy.

So they spoke, saw, and heard no evil about the church system. They were not permitted to step out of the gate of the church without a pass signed by the prophet. Yet the disciples looked happy, except that they were separated from their beloved ones.

They dared not step outside the stricture set by Joshua. The consequence was always grave. They could disappear without a trace or get ejected into a difficult life of dreariness outside. Those so rejected would find it difficult to survive and soon begin to beg to be taken back.

I once met one of such evictees who was once a top-flight disciple with ostentatious dress sense. After a few months of his eviction, he was just a shade away from madness. He was looking gaunt, wearing dirty tatters, and unable to speak coherently.

Issues with married people

Another strange thing about the church was the way he made married couples swap partners among themselves. He made this happen as a ritual to enable childless couples to have children. Strangely, many couples who could not have children would start having children with new partners with whom they had just been matched. In other words, formerly married husbands and wives saw their former partners coming to the church in the arms of new spouses.

TB was even bold enough to propose the swap to my colleague, Joe then a senior editorial staff of Guardian Newspaper. Joe and his wife were then seeking the face of God. And when they went to see the prophet he told them the only way out was to break up and find new separate partners from among the congregation.

Though TB looked meek he was known for his demonic anger which the insiders witnessed almost daily. I was then told by one of the so-called disciples helping him to manage the newspaper, how he threw up a large glass-topped table in his office in a fit of strange anger.

I did not stay for more than 3 months before TB folded the paper. So I did not stay long to see more of the disturbing things happening in the church. But the little I saw furnished rooms for reasonable suspicion. While I won’t vilify him in death, I won’t be so gullible as to join the team of his praise singers.

The Bible says we should not believe all spirits. But we must put them to the test to see if they are of the Lord. I put TB’s spirit to the test and there appeared to be too much fog around him, making me suspect him, though his persona was likable somewhat.

Source: ChurchTimes

Headline

Judge Orders Trump White House To Restore Access To Banned Media Outlets

Published

10 hours ago

September 25, 2026

Editor

A US federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to temporarily restore White House access to journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico after the three news organisations challenged their exclusion from the presidential complex.

US District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a 14-day temporary restraining order early Thursday, directing the White House to immediately return, reinstate and restore the press credentials of journalists from the three outlets.

The ruling followed a lawsuit filed on Monday by CNN, MS NOW and Politico, which challenged President Donald Trump’s decision to bar their reporters from the White House.

Trump announced the ban on September 18, accusing the outlets of repeatedly publishing what he described as “FAKE NEWS” and negative coverage of his administration.

The three organisations argued that the administration’s action violated their First Amendment rights and deprived their journalists of due process under the Fifth Amendment.

In his ruling, Kelly said the outlets were likely to succeed in showing that their press credentials had been revoked without constitutionally adequate due process.

The judge also rejected the administration’s argument that national security concerns justified the restrictions.

“The record lacks factual support for defendants’ contention that the revocation of plaintiffs’ hard passes will in fact protect national security or that national security will be endangered if the court orders their passes reinstated while this litigation proceeds,” Kelly wrote.

He also noted that Trump had focused on the outlets’ reporting when announcing the ban rather than national security concerns.

“Certainly, that is not what President Trump said when he announced that he was ‘banning’ plaintiffs from the White House—instead, he focused on the alleged lack of truthfulness and negativity of plaintiffs’ reporting,” the judge wrote.

The administration had argued in court that access to the White House was a privilege rather than a right and that the outlets’ reporting raised concerns about national security and professionalism.

The Justice Department is expected to appeal the ruling.

Trump had previously said he would probably allow the three organisations back into the White House if a court ruled against his decision.

The dispute began when reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were turned away from the White House after their press credentials were revoked.

The decision also affected the White House television pool. CNN had been scheduled to travel with Trump to New York for the United Nations General Assembly as part of the pool, but its removal led the other participating television networks to suspend the pool in solidarity.

Other media organisations also joined the legal challenge indirectly by filing a friend-of-the-court brief supporting the three outlets.

The case now moves forward with the temporary restraining order in place for 14 days. During that period, the court is expected to consider whether longer-lasting relief should be granted.

The ruling comes as Trump faces a series of high-profile events at the White House, including his scheduled meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The administration and the three news organisations are expected to continue their legal arguments as the court considers the broader dispute over press access and the constitutional rights of journalists covering the president.

(TimeMagazine)

Headline

Man Charged After Fatal Southall Collision

Published

11 hours ago

September 25, 2026

Editor

A 20-year-old man has been charged after a fatal road collision in Southall, west London, which claimed the life of a 17-year-old passenger.

The Metropolitan Police said officers were called at about 1:04 a.m. on Saturday, September 19, following reports of a collision involving a Ford Mustang on South Road, Southall.

Officers attended the scene alongside paramedics from the London Ambulance Service and firefighters from the London Fire Brigade.

Despite efforts by emergency responders, 17-year-old passenger Ranbir Singh died at the scene.

His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.

Another passenger, a 26-year-old man, sustained serious injuries in the collision and remains in hospital, according to police.

The driver of the vehicle, Sukhveer Singh, 20, of Townsend Road, Southall, was arrested at the scene.

He was subsequently charged on Sunday, September 20, with causing death by dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle taking and dangerous driving.

He was also charged with driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence and using a vehicle without insurance.

Singh appeared before Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on Monday, September 21, and was remanded in custody.

He is due to appear at the Old Bailey on Monday, October 19.

Detective Inspector Fiaz Janjua, from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “This is a truly tragic incident in which a young man has lost his life and another remains in hospital with serious injuries.

“Our deepest sympathies remain with Ranbir’s family and friends, who continue to be supported by specially trained officers. during this extremely difficult time.

“While a man has now been charged in connection with this collision, our investigation remains ongoing and we are continuing to establish the full circumstances leading up to the incident.

“I would ask anyone who witnessed the collision, the manner of driving beforehand, or the movements of the Ford Mustang in the Southall area during the early hours of Saturday, 19 September, to come forward.”

Police are particularly appealing to anyone who may have CCTV footage, doorbell recordings, mobile phone footage or dashcam recordings that could assist the investigation.

The Met urged anyone with information to contact police on 101, quoting reference 01/8080469/26.

The force said the investigation remains ongoing as detectives work to establish the circumstances leading up to the collision.

(MetPolice)

Headline

Four Nations Back Permanent African Seat On UN Security Council

Published

13 hours ago

September 25, 2026

Editor

Four nations, Brazil, Germany, India and Japan, have backed a permanent African seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), calling for urgent reform of the Council to reflect contemporary geopolitical realities.

The four countries, under the Group of Four (G4), made their position known in a joint statement issued after their foreign ministers met in New York on Tuesday on the margins of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.

The ministers said reform of the Security Council had become more necessary than ever, given the increasingly challenging global geopolitical environment.

They said the Council was currently unable to effectively discharge its core responsibility of maintaining international peace and security, with its representativeness, legitimacy, credibility and efficacy in question.

According to them, the Council’s eight-decade-old structure was “not reflective of contemporary geopolitical realities” and had become an impediment to addressing present and future challenges to international peace and security.

The ministers stressed that expansion of the Security Council in both the permanent and non-permanent categories was central to meaningful reform.

They called for greater representation of under-represented and unrepresented regions and groups, particularly Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

The four nations also welcomed the reform model presented by the African Group during the Inter-governmental Negotiations (IGN) on Security Council reform in the 80th session of the General Assembly.

They reaffirmed their support for Africa’s case for enhanced representation on the Security Council, including in the permanent category.

The ministers, however, expressed concern over the slow pace of negotiations, noting that the IGN process had produced no concrete outcome towards substantive Security Council reform despite 18 years of discussions.

They also expressed reservations over the presentation of what they described as a “bridging proposal” before the commencement of text-based negotiations.

According to them, the proposal failed to take into account the position of a clear majority of UN member states in favour of expansion in both permanent and non-permanent categories.

The ministers further maintained that consensus should not be the benchmark for decision-making on Security Council reform, citing the UN Charter and the mandate of the IGN.

They said Brazil, Germany, India and Japan would work with other reform-oriented groups to develop a consolidated model that reflects the views of the majority of UN member states.

The four countries said commencing text-based negotiations should be treated as a priority towards achieving substantive reform of the Security Council.

They said this would help restore the Council’s representativeness, legitimacy, credibility and effectiveness, while strengthening the multilateral system with the UN at its centre.

The ministers also said discussions on reform should not be restricted to the IGN, expressing willingness to engage the wider UN membership through other platforms, including the General Assembly.

They pledged to continue coordinating closely during the 81st session of the General Assembly and directed their officials to follow up on the discussions.

Progress on the issue is expected to be reviewed at the next Director General-level meeting in New Delhi.