The Death of Pastor TB Joshua, ably referred to as Man of God, came to me as a rude shock. I have known Pastor TB Joshua personally since 2011 through the late Dr. FREDERICK FASEHUN, and we became even closer sometime in 2013 when the former CSO to Abacha was released from prison by the Court of Appeal.
TB Joshua was too generous and humble. He was a good man and never looked down on anyone. There was never a time I met him in the company of Dr. Frederick Fasehun that he didn’t bestow his benevolence on me through prayers, kind words, and cash gifts. Such was the altruistic nature of this great man with the demeanour of a self-effacing and gracious servant of God.
Pastor TB Joshua was a man of no lean stature. He towered in uncommon munificence and was a Field Marshal for the gospel while he lived. In his death, we’ve lost an irreplaceable man but heaven has gained a gem as we Christians believe. He leaves behind a legacy that immortalizes his time on earth and we are blessed with the timeless nuggets in his words and sermons that encapsulated his conviction in God and the sanctity of a life lived for others. He will be missed. Sorely.
The world, while sorrowfully aghast at his colossal and unannounced exit, should be indeed reminded that all men, great or small, will be partakers of the finality of death. It is the inevitability of the curtain call for all men on earth that underscores the commonality of life and qualifies the dictum that indeed all men are equal in death.
Sometimes in the early part of 2018, I was aspiring for the position of House of Representatives to represent Oriade/ Obokun Federal Constituency in the 2019 General Elections, and I went to Lagos to inform Dr. Frederick Fasehun. Baba said to me, “Go and meet the man of God”, and he called ahead to Pastor TB Joshua that I was coming to him. I met with the man of God, he prayed with me and counselled me on the virtues of good leadership. He does not like to be part of politics and stressed that I develop my law practice, before handing me N3 million cash in a paper bag. I thought that was all. I thanked him profusely and he said I should drop my account details while leaving. I did. Just when I got downstairs, I received a credit alert of a shocking N50 million unexpected. I immediately rushed back upstairs to thank him again and convey my surprise and great gratitude but by the time I got to the big sitting area which usually looks like a big dining where they give food to his guests, I was told he was already busy and cannot see anyone. Dr. FASEHUN died December that year, and I never got to thanked Pastor TB Joshua physically.
Such was the nature of the man, as magnanimous as he was eminently preoccupied with the things of God and service to humanity. He gave all of his time and attention to providing both physical and spiritual succour to the crowd that frequented his synagogue both within and outside of Nigeria. He was a man with a large heart who frequently spoke truth to power and successfully came up against a wave of opposition from pernicious detractors that would have deflated a lesser man.
In attempting this brief tribute, I hope not to have done disservice to the unquantifiable legacy of this man too numerous to enumerate. He is a man who lived a life truly worthy of emulation and whose terms of existence is exemplary for all lovers of Christ and believers in the inherent humanity of man. May God receive his beautiful soul with aplomb while the solemnity of his demise yet tarries on earth. My prayers and thoughts go to his family, dependants, and the Body of Christ world wide.
May the soul of the gently departed Pastor TB Joshua rest in eternal peace. Amen.
Pelumi Olajengbesi, Esq. is a Legal Practitioner and Principal Partner at LAW CORRIDOR, Nigeria.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
