Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has slammed the Lagos State Government for failing to prosecute the leader of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Temitope Joshua better known as TB Joshua.
Bibian Anekwe News recalls that on September 12, 2014, a hostel collapsed in the SCOAN’s premises in Lagos killing at least 116 people, 84 of them South Africans.
A coroner, Oyetade Komolafe, had in July 2015 ruled that the church was culpable because of criminal negligence resulting in the death of the victims.
Komolafe added that TB Joshua’s church had not obtained proper approval before putting up the structure.
Speaking on Saturday at the book reading and signing of two of his books titled, ‘Trumpism in Academe’ and ‘Chronicles of the Happiest People on Earth’, Soyinka lambasted the cleric for claiming his church was attacked by a strange aircraft.
According to him, Nigeria had become such a deeply religious society to the extent that actions that should be punished are usually regarded as an act of God.
Soyinka added, “There are others for whom the calling is just a cover up because we have an abnormal respect for the priesthood in this country. It doesn’t matter which one- Muslim, Christian, Orisa worshipper, Buddhists, whatever it is.
“Somehow, religion has almost national character and so it doesn’t matter who it is or what he does. He can get away with a lot. Look at TB Joshua for instance whose chapel of whatever it is in Lagos, collapsed on the congregation. Not just Nigerians, close to 200 or 300. They came from South Africa and so on and so forth.
“This is somebody who should have been charged for carelessness, for flouting the laws required for setting up public establishments. The next thing he said is that oh it was an air force plane that was hovering around that cracked the walls and buried humanity. Has he been brought to trial till today?”
