Churches are a major source of Nigeria’s annual 425 million U.S. dollars media revenue because of the ” ‘rivalry’ among Pentecostal churches to gain mass appeal” through the relentless publicising of miracles. It could be argued that it is unfair to expect a media entrepreneur to refuse to render services to one of Nigeria’s major Pentecostal churches and the most media-savvy “prophet” in the history of Nigerian Pentecostalism.
On YouTube and beyond, the recent BBC documentary on the dubious and abusive conduct, including rape and torture, of the late TB Joshua continues to generate ripples.
The three-part documentary was released following a series of interviews with former members of the late T. B Joshua’s Synagogue Church of All Nations based in Lagos.
The documentary has inspired mixed reactions from different quarters with some Nigerians demanding stringent regulation of religious institutions and Nigeria’s famed “Men of God”.
The BBC documentary has also brought attention to books and many video recordings on YouTube from the past that attempted to expose T.B Joshua’s atrocities to a much wider public.
One of such past efforts to expose T.B Joshua is an interview with one of the late TB Joshua’s principal aides, Bisola Johnson, posted on the YouTube page of Asabe AfrikaTv four years ago when T.B Joshua was still alive. Bisola, who spent 14 years with T.B Joshua as a “disciple” revealed that the celebrity journalist and politician, Dele Momodu, was one of the journalists who helped to publicise the activities of the controversial Man of God, and also helped him suppress unflattering news.
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Speaking on TB Joshua’s manipulative encounter with pastor Chris Oyakhilome, Mrs Jumoke claimed that Mr Momodu alongside other journalists was usually contracted by the late cleric to manipulate the public.
She also accused them of collecting money from the late cleric to cover his manipulative activities at the synagogue in the YouTube video.
Speaking on how TB Joshua used journalists to publicise the first visit of pastor Chris Oyakhilome to Synagogue, Johnson said, “He would call his journalists who feed on crumbs under his table like Dele Momodu to put up fake stories.
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“I am not afraid. They collect money from him. I am not afraid of you people. If you have any problem; I am sorry about that. Because I was there when you people were coming. There are many of them.
“On weekly basis, TB Joshua gives you guys money. So any breaking news they stop it from reaching the public and would be telling people wrong things (SIC). So he invited and asked them to go and hide anytime a big fish is coming to the synagogue.”
Mr. Dele Momodu, a veteran journalist who left the newsroom more than two decades for business, is one of Nigeria’s top publicists. He once recounted how the telecommunications and oil and gas entrepreneur, Mike Adenuga, gifted him two luxury cars in two years, (the first in 2015) worth 85 Million. Mr. Momodu publicly reflected on the gift, “I was stunned that he bought me the most expensive car in the Audi family, Audi A8L“.
If Mr. Momodu indeed had any dealings with the controversial late T.B Joshua, it is likely that the “prophet” was a client, i.e. Momodu was “collecting money” for rendering public relations services rather than practicing “brown envelope” journalism i.e. collecting money to publish what the subject of a story prefers in an employer’s newspaper.
It is rather difficult to track Mr. Momodu’s work providing “media management” services as he does not formally operate a public relations company that offers strategic communications or brand reputation management for organizations.
He works rather as a “publicist” generating publicity or managing media crises for personalities. An informed source maintains that Mr. Momodu is one of the top go-to publicists for Nigeria’s elite politicians and business people.
Churches are a major source of Nigeria’s annual 425 million U.S. dollars media revenue because of the ” ‘rivalry’ among Pentecostal churches to gain mass appeal” through the relentless publicising of miracles. It could be argued that it is unfair to expect a media entrepreneur to refuse to render services to one of Nigeria’s major Pentecostal churches and the most media-savvy “prophet” in the history of Nigerian Pentecostalism.
