Apostle Johnson Suleman defends T.B. Joshua, says church members are not pastors’ friends
Apostle Johnson Suleman has defended the late Nigerian televangelist Temitope Balogun Joshua, popularly known as T.B. Joshua, highlighting the late preacher’s reported influence on the influx of foreign visitors into Nigeria while warning pastors against placing too much trust in their church members.
Suleman made the remarks while discussing Joshua’s impact, the controversies surrounding his ministry and the people he alleged had infiltrated the church under the guise of genuine membership.
According to Suleman, an immigration officer once told him that the number of foreigners entering Nigeria weekly through Joshua’s influence was unprecedented and had not been witnessed again since the televangelist’s death.
He argued that the influx of expatriates also brought foreign currency into the country, suggesting that Joshua’s activities had an economic impact beyond the church.
“There’s a man of God in this country who was one man that brought in more expatriates than anybody. Brought in more expatriates,” Suleman said.
Recounting the conversation with the immigration officer, he added: “The number of foreigners that come to the country weekly by that man, that since he died, they have not seen that again.”
Suleman further claimed that the arrival of these foreign visitors contributed to the movement of foreign currencies into Nigeria.
“Forex went up because they come with foreign currencies. Things went up by one man,” he said, reiterating the significance he attributed to Joshua’s influence.
Suleman challenges critics who call T.B. Joshua fake
The apostle also questioned the judgment of those who labelled Joshua a fake man of God, contrasting the late preacher’s reported international reach with what he described as the limited reach of some of his critics.
“And yet you call him fake. You that is real, even villagers don’t come to your church,” Suleman said.
His comments amounted to a forceful defence of Joshua’s influence, challenging critics to consider the scale of the late preacher’s following and the international attention his ministry attracted.
Claims of spies infiltrating T.B. Joshua’s ministry
Suleman also alleged that some individuals had infiltrated Joshua’s ministry and spent years working within its structures while secretly gathering information.
According to him, some of these individuals entered the media and various departments of the ministry, remaining there for extended periods.
“Some people entered into the media, enter into departments, enter into several departments of that man’s ministry. Some were there for 15 years, 18 years. They were spies,” he alleged.
He further claimed that these individuals received payments from both the church and the people who had allegedly sent them to infiltrate the ministry.
“All of these documentaries are not the nonsense you saw. They were people who were there as spies. They were being paid monthly by the church and being paid monthly by those that sent them. They entered,” Suleman said.
The apostle’s remarks suggested that some of the information and accounts later associated with documentaries about Joshua and his ministry could, in his view, have come from people who had spent years inside the organisation while allegedly operating under conflicting loyalties.
His allegations about infiltration, covert payments and the individuals involved were not independently established in the remarks provided.
‘Your member is not your friend’
Beyond defending Joshua, Suleman used the discussion to deliver a stern warning to pastors about the boundaries they maintain with members of their congregations.
He argued that church membership should not automatically be interpreted as personal friendship, cautioning ministers against exposing their private lives and vulnerabilities to people simply because they attend their churches.
“See, can I say something? Your member is not your friend, though. Your member is your—your member is a number. Your member is not your friend,” he said.
Suleman urged pastors to stop what he described as vulnerability and the practice of lowering their guard around church members.
“Stop this vulnerability. This vulnerability. This letting down your guards,” he warned.
He also criticised pastors who discuss private marital matters with members of their congregations, using the example of ministers who report their wives to church members.
“There are pastors who report their wife to members. Your member is not your friend, though,” Suleman said.
His warning underscored his position that pastors must exercise caution in their relationships with congregants, particularly when it comes to confidential family matters and personal weaknesses.
The remarks combined a defence of T.B. Joshua’s reported international and economic influence with allegations of covert activity within the late preacher’s ministry and a broader caution to church leaders about trust, confidentiality and the distinction between pastoral relationships and personal friendships.