The Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has described the General Overseer of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Prophet T.B. Joshua, as an icon of religious tourism.
The labour union conferred the recognition on the man of God when a delegation, led by its Lagos state Chapter, Comrade Idowu Adelakun, paid a courtesy call at the Ikotun headquarters of SCOAN, Lagos.
Adelakun said: “The SCOAN remains the only ministry in Africa that attracts the highest number of foreign visitors thereby boosting the religious tourism potentials of Nigeria and also earning huge foreign exchange for the country.”
He described Joshua as a leading light in Africa pointing out that the humanitarian efforts of T.B. Joshua’s church and Emmanuel TV have received world-wide recognition.
Speaking during what appeared as a solidarity visit, the labour delegation also called on the Federal and the Lagos State governments to find a place in their hearts to support T.B. Joshua’s ministry rather than try to persecute the embattled cleric.
According the Adelakun, there is a need for government at all levels to partner with the ministry to ensure that Nigerian citizens get the best from their fatherland.
He said: “It would be recalled that apart from his spiritual gifts, Prophet T.B. Joshua had on several occasions, hosted Nigerian sports men and women who excelled in various international sporting events, including the Commonwealth and Olympic games.”
The delegation stressed that labour would use the opportunity of the forthcoming Workers’ Day to place a demand on government to support Prophet T.B. Joshua in his efforts towards nation-building; rather than persecute him with the ongoing criminal trial of contractors who handled the collapse of a guest house belonging to his church.
While thanking the labour union for the solidarity visit, T.B. Joshua urged the unionist to always remain law abiding through constructive activism devoid of violence and any form of criminality
He also used the opportunity to remind all Nigerians of the need to support the government to ensure that Nigerians would enjoy the dividends of democracy.
