Opinion: Why T.B Joshua is Nigeria’s most Internationally recognized celebrity
Yesterday, I chanced upon a list
put together by an African blogger chronicling Nigeria’s most
internationally known celebrities. Intriguingly, the name sitting at the
pinnacle of the pack of film stars and musicians was a Christian pastor
who seldom leaves Nigerian shores.
Above the likes of musicians
D’Banj, P Square, Wizkid, Flavour, 2Face and Nollywood legends
Genevieve Nnaji, Omotola Ekeinde and Ramsey Noah Jr, the controversial
Pastor T.B. Joshua was ranked as Nigeria’s most popular international
icon.
The question begs – is this
just a bloggers personal opinion masked perhaps under an impressionable
meeting with Joshua or is it a true reflection of international outlook
toward Africa’s most populous nation.
Although
the likes of D’banj, 2face and PSquare regularly have sell out concerts
in foreign countries, none have neared the feat Joshua accomplished
last month when he packed an Olympic Stadium in the South American
nation of Colombia, a reported 100,000 in attendance.
Well, a quick look at
the facts certainly gravitates towards the latter conclusion. Social
media stats put Joshua near the top of the pack with nearly 1.3 million
Facebook followers, bettered only by Omosexy who
has over 1.6 million.
The other celebs on this list to have topped the million margin are
P-Square with 1.1 million and D’Banj with 1 million.
Joshua’s international
acclaim is certainly evident in Nigeria’s tourism industry, recent
statistics from the Nigerian Immigration Service stating that six out of
every ten foreign travellers coming into Nigeria are bound for The
Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN).
Even the recent threat of
Ebola and the menace of Boko Haram have not stemmed the tide of
international visitors to Joshua’s ministry, an estimated 10,000 having
flown into Lagos to meet ‘the prophet’ in the last month.
When it comes to
headline-making activities, it appears the Nigerian pastor is a
hands-down winner. This week alone, Joshua has featured in newspapers
from UK, USA, Brazil, Mexico, Turkey, France, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Namibia,
Lesotho, Namibia and even China (to name but a few) in respect of his
unique response to the deadly Ebola outbreak.
Followers of online blogs,
particularly within Africa, are inundated almost daily with T.B. Joshua
related news, more than any of the other celebrities chronicled in this
piece. The controversy surrounding his persona is further mirrored in
the comments sections of such articles which often turn to heated
debates over authenticity and relevance.
Malicious messages sent
through social media gain untold momentum when attributed to Joshua, the
alleged ‘salt-water’ Ebola cure that swept across Nigeria being a
recent example. There was even a time when nationwide panic ensued among
2go users due to a purported message ascribed to Joshua that calamity
awaited users of the popular service.
Although the likes of
D’banj, 2face and PSquare regularly have sell out concerts in foreign
countries, none have neared the feat Joshua accomplished last month when
he packed an Olympic Stadium in the South American nation of Colombia, a
reported 100,000 in attendance.
Joshua’s television station
Emmanuel TV has been touted severally to be among the most viewed
stations in the African continent as the name ‘T.B. Joshua’ has become
increasingly synonymous with the nation of Nigeria in the eyes of
onlookers.
As a Nigerian who travels
frequently throughout Africa, I can affirm that the question most
commonly asked me once Nigerian nationality is established revolves
around the popular pastor and his ‘supernatural’ antics.
Although it is practically
impossible to gauge exact levels of popularity, I think it is safe to
say that the bearded cleric certainly ranks in the upper echelons of
Nigeria’s international flag bearers – and there seems to be no signs of
his influence waning.
Here is the list as opined by the aforementioned blogger:
1. Pastor T.B. Joshua
2. 2Face Idibia
3. Flavour
4. Wizkid
5. Ramsey Noah Jr
6. P-Square
7. Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde
8. Genevieve Nnaji
9. D’Banj
Do you agree with this list? Is anyone missing? In your opinion, who is Nigeria’s most internationally recognised celebrity?
Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Kevin Djakpor's Blog.
