By Julius Alabi (Akure) and Uzor Odigbo
Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, and his colleague in Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, on Sunday mourned the death of Pastor TB Joshua.
Joshua died in the early hours of the day at the relatively young age of 57.
Akeredolu said he received the news of the death of Joshua with a heavy heart.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, Akeredolu said Joshua was a blessing to humanity and a great Ambassador of Ondo, the Sunshine State.
“Undoubtedly, Pastor Joshua’s demise came as a rude shock. The pains are not mere emotional flashes; they are indeed piercing. The Ondo-born Pastor and Televangelist was a philanthropist whose exit will be sorely missed by many.
“Pastor Joshua was committed to giving and was more often, inexorably imbued with calmness while lifting the downtrodden. As a televangelist, he did not just win souls for Christ, he was passionate about changing lives.
“He demonstrated timelessly, an alluring service to humanity and compassion by assisting not only his home local government, Akoko North West. Other adjoining local governments in Akoko land benefitted from his large heart of benevolence.
“Of significant note too, Pastor Joshua never hesitated to assist in whatever manner the Ondo State Government desired such. To us in Ondo State, we consider this a personal loss. He was a pride to the Sunshine State
“Not only Africa is hit hard; this is a great global knock as his ministry attracted an immeasurable foreign followership. Christendom has lost a giant.
“The reality of the finality of death, truly hurts the heart. But for TB Joshua, he had played his own part of the endless life orchestra; he has departed. We must take solace in his good deeds while here. He is now Heaven’s gain. The people have lost a committed giver. We shall continue to remember his contributions to the development of our State”, he said
While commiserating with the immediate family, the entire membership of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, Akeredolu expressed his heart-felt condolences to the Zaki of Arigidi Akoko, Oba Yisa Olanipekun and the entire community over the loss of a great son of the soil.
The Governor prayed that God should grant the late man of God an eternal rest in His bosom and comfort grieving family members, friends and associates.
In the same vein, Obaseki mourned the passing of the General Overseer of the Synagogue Church of All Nations.
In a statement, the governor said he was saddened by the pastor’s death, noting that the deceased impacted the lives of millions of people across the world.
According to him, “I am saddened by the news of the passing of Pastor Temitope Balogun Joshua, a great preacher of the gospel who impacted the lives of millions of people across the world.
“Pastor Joshua deployed his gift of delivering the word of God in relatable terms to advance the church of Christ and brought laughter, solace and comfort to many with Christ’s message of love.”
He added: “The Synagogue Church of All Nations, which Pastor Joshua superintended, was a home of refuge for those desirous of God’s word and also for the desolate, providing a beacon of hope to many worshippers from across the globe.
“Pastor Joshua would be remembered for his devotion to God, the feisty manner he delivered Christ’s message of love and his commitment to community and the upliftment of mankind.”
The governor commiserated with the Christian community, the Synagogue Church of All Nations and his family, and prayed that God grants all the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.