TB Joshua named 'Man of the Decade' in Nigeria

One the most popular televangelists in Zimbabwe, Nigerian Prophet T.B. Joshua, has been named the 'Yoruba man of the decade'. 

Joshua, who is well known in Zimbabwe due to the fame of his Christian television station Emmanuel TV, received the commendation from IrohinOdua, the first pan-Yoruba news outlet.

The Yoruba people are one of three prominent ethnic groups in Nigeria, constituting over 35 million people.

Additionally, Nigerian Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka was named 'Yoruba man of the year' and prominent Nigerian statesman and social democrat Chief Obafemi Awolowo was posthumously awarded 'Yoruba man of the century'.

According to the statement, the three personalities were selected after a careful consideration of the role each had played in the annals of modern Yoruba history.

Eulogising T.B. Joshua's contribution to tourism in Nigeria, the Editorial Board Chairman for IrohinOdua, Prince Adeleke said, "The ancestral origin of The Synagogue has transformed from a dingy wasteland into a local Disneyland drawing, in one year, millions of visitors to Nigeria from Africa, Europe, the Middle East and America."

Zimbabweans are among the thousands of foreign pilgrims who flock to Joshua's church in Nigeria despite the lure of local prophets such as Uebert Angel and Emmanuel Makandiwa.

Adeleke continued, "We see in his handiwork, a quiet revolution to transform the world in ways unimaginable. Since we blew the whistle for nomination, we have received incalculable, baffling testimonials from royals and ordinary street folks leading us to a hidden light in a dark, malicious world where the poor remain the dreg and the end butt of repression, neglect and perpetual want."

Joshua received the nod despite the fact that several prominent Nigerian pastors also have Yoruba origins. These include Enoch Adeboye, David Oyedepo, Matthew Ashimolowo, Tunde Bakare and William Kumuyi.

T.B. Joshua gained prominence in Zimbabwe due to his well-publicised relationship with Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangarai and also the growth in popularity of Walter Magaya, who claims Joshua is his 'spiritual father'.

Ihechukwu Njoku is a freelance Nigerian journalist currently reporting from Lagos, Nigeria.