Egbe: Community where tenants sublet their bedrooms to church worshipers

Every weekend, landlords, tenants and residents of Egbe community in Ikotun Local Council Development Area (LCDA) in Alimosho area of Lagos State, hustle for worshippers seeking accommodation. The Christian worshippers who throng the community from all the nooks and crannies of the country to the Synagogue Church of All Nations are those seeking miracles at the popular church -- tugged inside the heart of Egbe, a suburb of Lagos. Their activities are turning the community around for the better. EMEKA IBEMERE reports       

From Thursdays to Sundays, business activities in the area begin around 4:00 p.m. when the church gates are opened for the members who throng the premises of the church for healing. Residents hunt for clients that have come to the church for miracles and healings from afar and have nowhere to stay.

 As worshippers disembark from their buses and cars, they are accosted by men and women who would enquire from them whether they needed accommodation.

An interested pilgrim would indicate his or her interest depending on how urgent he needed the accommodation. And before you know it, both would disappear into Egbe town where the Synagogue Church of All Nations, has turned the rustic surroundings into a Mecca of sorts. This is what is happening at Egbe and its environs -- Egbe, Ikotun, Ijegun, Igando, Ejigbo, Isheri-Jakande Estate and Oke-Afa are turning to a Mecca for Christian pilgrims seeking abodes, and turning the community into tourism centres.

On weekly basis, an average of 1,000,000 worshippers converge at Egbe and other areas seeking accommodation on these ‘holy places’. The visitors are from all the corners of the world; seeking miracles and healings at The Synagogue Church of All Nations founded by Prophet T. B. Joshua.

While the miracles are going on, residents, tenants and original landlords battle for customers over who would be their tenants for the four days the service takes. The business is becoming lucrative as the Sublette are smiling to their different banks, making tidy amounts of money on weekly basis from the miracle-seeking worshippers.

A night spent in their ‘landlord’s one-room apartment costs N2, 000. Two nights is N4, 000, while three nights cost N6, 000. A flat within a good environment and with facilities costs N2, 500 per night.  Three nights cost N8, 500. The few hotels in the area charge as high as N5, 000 per night, and they are always booked before Wednesdays.

The tenancy agreement is that while the period of the worshippers stay last, the worshippers would not cook their food or use any of their ‘landlords’ private and domestic property.

The worshippers are only allowed to use the toilets and bathrooms. The rent is paid in full at the point of entering the house. And the number of people with each ‘tenant’ should not exceed two. In most cases, four people are allowed in a flat where the father, mother and children are involved.  Where it’s only a husband and wife, the same rule is applied.

For those who live in one rooms and sublet it, they share their central rooms with the worshippers. Others relocate temporarily to their friends’ houses and allow their new ‘tenants’ to occupy the house till after the duration of the special miracle service.

Synagogue programmes always last for three days. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are the days of the programmes. By Monday morning, the tenancy period is expired, and the owners of the houses return home.

In a flat, the owners of the apartment share the rooms with the ‘worshipper-tenant’. The worshippers are allocated one of the bathrooms. Some of the original tenants that have masters’ bedrooms relocate to their children’s rooms to accommodate the worshippers while their children move to their mother’s room. But the sitting rooms are shared together.

In some cases, sitting rooms are given to the worshippers. Since most of the day would be spent in the church, the worshippers don’t mind taking the sitting rooms.

What they needed was where to lay their heads at night. Both are suspicious of each other as they watch their belongings with utmost care. Both ‘landlords and tenants’ don’t keep their belongings anyhow.

Aside the letting of their houses, shops, warehouses, bedrooms, parlours and sharing their bathrooms and despite lack of social amenities in the areas, the rustic towns have become booming business centres. Businesses have sprouted out along Ikotun- Ejigbo road. The popular transport operators, like Cross Country have opened parks opposite the church. Eateries, drinking bars, hotels, banks, business centres, supermarkets, hawkers and other sundry businesses are competing for space along the Synagogue Church of All Nations road and adjoining streets. 

The Church has affected the movement of Lagos residents into seeking accommodation in the Ikotun-Egbe areas. Before now, house rents in the areas were relatively low but with the emergence of Synagogue Church of All Nations, house rents have gone up. Three bedrooms with spacious living rooms, kitchen and enough parking space in a decent environment that was about N90,000 eight years ago situated close to the First Bank, Ikotun, is now N250,000 per year. A 2-bedroom flat off Abaranje road, on Customs and Asalu bus stops that cost N50,000 now cost N200,000 a year. Also 2-bedrooms flats upstairs located along Ijegun community road by Ikotun/ Igando axis is ₦170,000
Brand new 2-bedrooms with two toilets and two baths cost N170,000 for upstairs per a year, while the downstairs cost N150,000 for one year.
Despite the bad roads that stretches from Oke-Afa to the Ijegun-Ikotun to Cele Mile 2 Express road and the Isheri-Jakande Estate roads which are the major roads through which residents could travel to the Lagos mainland or Badagry are unmotorable. People still find it convenient seeking for accommodation in Egbe and Ikotun areas.
The worst part of Ikotun- Cele express road was the stretch between Oke-Afa Bridge and Ejigbo just as the whole stretch of Isheri- Jakande Estate road is impassable. Electricity in the area is nothing to write about.  Power has always been a problem in the areas leading to Prophet T.B. Joshua, the man of God -- donating transformers to the communities.
The presence of the church has changed Egbe community from darkness to light as there’s constant electricity supply to the area. But apart from turning Egbe and Ikotun and environs to a Mecca to behold, it has also caused pains to the users of the road and adjacent roads. 
Every weekend, it looks as if hell is let loose on the roads as traffic jams become unbearable to road users. It is worse from Fridays to Sundays especially when the church closes. The man hours spent in a traffic jam on weekly and daily basis cannot be quantified in dollars.
Founded by Temitope Balogun Joshua who was born on June 12, 1963 in Arigidi, Ondo State, Nigeria.  The Synagogue  Church has grown from a small church to a global church.
Joshua commonly referred to as T. B. Joshua, is a Christian minister, televangelist and faith healer. He is the leader and founder of the ministry -- The Synagogue, Church of All Nations (SCOAN), which runs a Christian television station called Emmanuel TV, available on satellite and on the Internet via the Streaming Faith broadcast portal.
He is also a notable humanitarian, providing aid to minorities and the underprivileged on national and international scales via Another Ministry. He has been honoured severally and given various accolades, notably receiving the national honour of OFR by the Nigerian government in 2008. He is recognised as one of Africa's 50 most influential people.
Joshua is known for his popularity across Africa and all over the world -- and his online presence, with over 650,000 fans on Facebook and hundreds of YouTube videos which have proved controversial and amassed thousands of viewers.
According to Joshua’s official biography, unusual circumstances surrounded his birth. It is claimed he spent 15 months in his mother’s womb and narrowly avoided death after a quarry explosion near his house sent rocks through its roof just seven days after his birth.
Joshua attended St. Stephen's Anglican Primary School in Arigidi-Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria between 1971 and 1977 -- but failed to complete a year of secondary school education.
In school, he was known as "small pastor" because of his love for the Bible. He did various casual jobs after his schooling, including carrying chicken waste at a poultry farm. He organised Bible studies for local children and attended evening school during this period. Joshua attempted to join the Nigerian Army but was thwarted due to a train breakdown that left him stranded en route to the military academy.
In 1989, T. B. Joshua allegedly fasted and prayed for 40 days and 40 nights. He wrote that in a heavenly vision, he had received divine anointing and a covenant from God to start his ministry. Following this, Joshua founded The Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) with only a handful of members.
 According to the organisation, more than 100,000 members now attend its weekly Sunday service; visitors from outside Nigeria are accommodated in the accommodation blocks constructed at the church. While locals who cannot afford high hotel bills go for the sublets.
The SCOAN has been hailed for its impact on Nigerian tourism.  Recent statistics from the Nigerian Immigration Service revealed that out of every ten foreign travellers coming into Nigeria, six of them are bound for The SCOAN at Egbe in Ikotun local government area.

SCOAN remains controversial both in Nigeria and abroad, claiming regular occurrences of divine miracles. Several hundred Nigerians and international visitors come to the SCOAN each week to register for the prayer lines where the visitors are prayed for by T. B. Joshua and the "Wise Men". SCOAN has published numerous videos claiming to document the healing of incurable disabilities and illnesses such as spinal cord injuries, HIV/AIDS and cancer. Medical reports are a prerequisite for prayer for any health-related ailment in an attempt to authenticate the miracles said to be occurring.

Notable sports persons who claim to have been healed of sporting injuries at the SCOAN include South African rugby players Jaco van der Westhuizen and Jaco du Preeze, and Nigerian footballer Joseph Yobo. Spiritual healing at The SCOAN has been mentioned by Time magazine. Since June 2010, five "Wise Men" have joined in ministering to people at The SCOAN, purportedly able to prophesy, heal and deliver in the same vein as T. B. Joshua. The church has branches in Ghana, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Greece. Many have also claimed to be healed through ‘Anointing Water’ that has been prayed over by Joshua and given to those who are unable to physically attend his church in Lagos.
The Synagogue has been credited with 'deliverance' of those allegedly possessed by evil spirits during its services. The wife of Ghanaian goalkeeper Richard Kingston, was allegedly delivered of an evil spirit which was behind her husband's inability to procure a contract with a team since 2011.
Notable Ghanaian human rights lawyer Kwabla Senanu,testified at The SCOAN that he was 'delivered' from a spiritual problem that had caused him embarrassing bouts of sleep in the courtroom.
 Similarly, Ghanaian musician Denise Williams said she was 'delivered' from a demon that had pushed her to become a drug-addict and suicidal. Veteran Nigerian Nollywood actress Camilla Mberekpe, was also said to be 'delivered' at The SCOAN.
Another Ministry is the humanitarian arm of SCOAN. It caters to the needs of widows, the elderly, physically challenged, orphans and the destitute.
 The church provides scholarships to orphans and children of the underprivileged, with educational support given from primary to tertiary levels. His scholarship sponsorships have included more than 5,000 Nigerian and foreign students, with one Nigerian student doing a PhD in Oxford University. Nigerian media reporting the total given amounted to over £100,000.
There is also a rehabilitation programme for armed robbers, prostitutes, political thugs and militants from Nigeria’s volatile Niger Delta region. Joshua is well known in Nigeria for reconciling broken families and marriages. SCOAN has established various NGOs in other countries, including the Passion For Needy in Ghana.
After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Joshua sent a team of medical personnel and humanitarian workers to the affected area, establishing a field hospital called 'Clinique Emmanuel'. A Forbes blogger estimated Joshua has spent over $20 million on humanitarian activities in the last three years. In recognition of his humanitarian activities, he was awarded a National Honour by the Nigerian government in 2008.
On sports, T. B. Joshua in 2009 started a football club, My People FC, as part of efforts to help the youth. Two members of the team played for Nigeria's Golden Eaglets in the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Sani Emmanuel, who apparently lived in The SCOAN for several years, was Nigeria's top-scorer and the tournament's MVP. Emmanuel and his colleague Ogenyi Onazi have now signed professional contracts with SS Lazio. Onazi recently debuting and scoring for the Nigerian Senior Team, the Super Eagles. Following the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, T. B. Joshua rewarded the efforts of the Nigerian team, presenting the physically-challenged medallists with cash gifts and cars.
Current WBO International Light Middleweight boxing champion King Davidson Emenogu, said that Joshua has financially supported him throughout his career and purportedly prophesied that he would be a world boxing champion. The notion of miracles is the work of Jesus Christ. SCOAN members and some Nigerians claim that Joshua has successfully predicted events in the lives of individuals who attend his church services as well as worldwide events, including a prophecy of Michael Jackson's death, the Boston bombing attacks in America and the outcome of various football matches, including the two recent African Cup of Nations (AFCON) final matches, which were won by Zambia and Nigeria respectively.
His prophecy about the death of former Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika, created an internet storm, the prediction widely reported in African press before and after his demise.
Joshua's prophecies are allegedly held in such esteem that false rumours spread using his name are known to have caused widespread panic in communities, affected sporting events and led people to stop using social networks.
Egbe in Ikotun, the home of SCOAN has been host to notable visitors, especially within the African political sphere. These include Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangarai; late Ghanaian President John Evans Atta Mills (who testified that T. B. Joshua prophesied his ascent to presidency); South Africa’s Winnie Mandela; Malawian President Joyce Banda and the Zulu King, Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu. Emmanuel TV is the television station of the SCOAN and broadcasts 24/7. Their Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays services, which include the prayer lines are broadcast live. T. B. Joshua's programmes are also aired weekly on a number of local television stations across Africa. T. B. Joshua has donated televisions to prisons and hospitals so that they will be able to watch the Emmanuel TV broadcasts. Popular Nigerian actress Tonto Dikeh, testified that Joshua’s prayers on Emmanuel TV stopped her smoking habit of 14 years.
Like a king not honoured in his domain, Joshua and pastors from SCOAN have attracted controversy for their claims to heal incurable diseases like HIV/AIDS and cancer and recommending that "healed" individuals stop taking potentially life-saving antiviral medications. Rumours of Joshua's plans to visit Zimbabwe in May 2012 led to controversial clashes between politicians and pastors. The visit never materialized. T. B. Joshua is married to Evelyn Joshua. Contradictory reports have circulated as to whether he has children. His first daughter Sarah, has graduated from the London School of Economics with a law degree in 2012, and was planning to pursue a Master's degree in America.