Nigerian pastor, televangelist and founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Temitope Balogun Joshua, simply known as ‘T.B. Joshua’s credibility hangs by a thread after he predicted that the novel coronavirus COVID-19 will be over by the end of this month.
Speaking before his congregation on Sunday, March 15, 2020, Joshua claimed that the disease will go away by itself, without medicine or a cure. He told his church:
I came out at the beginning of this year saying last year will end in March and the year will continue to be very fearful till this month [March].
This month 27th, it will be over. By the end of this month, whether we like it or not – no matter the medicine they might have produced to cure whatever, it will go the way it came.
If it is not a medicine that brought this to the world, medicine cannot take it out. It will go the way it came.
Joshua’s supporters say that he has made some predictions in the past that have come to pass, such as the death of Michael Jackson (2009) and Zambia’s victory in an AFCON final (2012).
Meanwhile, the coronavirus pandemic has infected over 500 000 people and killed over 22 000 worldwide with several countries now on lockdown in a bid to curb its spread.