Emmanuel Makandiwa, the founder of the United Family International Church, has criticized the credibility of a recent BBC documentary that alleged the late Nigerian televangelist TB Joshua faked his miracles and ƨǝxuɑlly abused women. Makandiwa, in a presentation on his YouTube channel titled “Lessons from TB Joshua and the BBC documentary,” expressed his skepticism towards the accusations and claimed there was no conclusive evidence to support them.
TB Joshua, who established the Synagogue Church of All Nations (Scoan) in Lagos over three decades ago, passed away in June 2021 at the age of 57. He gained fame for his theatrical miracles and self-proclaimed divine healing powers, but his practices attracted controversy and accusations of using magic and rituals.
The BBC documentary shed light on the alleged fabrication of some of TB Joshua’s miracles. However, Makandiwa disputed the claims, stating that the documentary lacked investigative substance and failed to provide any concrete proof. He also questioned the credibility of individuals who claimed to have witnessed TB Joshua engaging in rituals, suggesting that such accusations should be supported by undeniable evidence.
Makandiwa further argued that if the accusations of TB Joshua being involved in rituals and drinking people’s blood were true, the late televangelist would still be alive. He emphasized the need for logical reasoning when attempting to discredit someone and called for a balanced assessment of TB Joshua’s ministry, acknowledging the presence of genuine miracles and prophecies.
While Makandiwa admitted to having never met TB Joshua in person, he disclosed having spoken to him over the phone a few times. TB Joshua had invited Makandiwa to Nigeria, but he declined the offer, citing reservations about how things would unfold during the visit without providing specific details.
TB Joshua was renowned for attracting other prophets, politicians, and prominent figures to his Nigerian church. .
“There is nothing investigative about the documentary,” he said. “There is no proof whatsoever.
“To me crying is not enough,” Makandiwa said in reference to the women that broke down during interviews with the BBC as they narrated their ordeals.
He also said those who claimed to have witnessed TB Joshua doing rituals were not convincing.
“You have a man that they say was a ritualist, he is into witchcraft, he is into dark arts, he is a wizard…they have said all sorts of things about the man including in this documentary that has recently come out,” Makandiwa said.
“You then question yourself and say ‘where is the truth in this?
“If the man is into rituals, then when you want to destroy him, when you want to attack, discredit him, bring him down, there are things about the man that you should not deny, that you should not ignore.
“You cannot say all the miracles were fake, doctored and all prophecies physically and manually given to him by his disciples.”
In his presentation, Makandiwa aimed to challenge the allegations against TB Joshua and present an alternative perspective on the controversial figure, emphasizing the importance of substantiating claims with credible evidence.
