For decades, Nigerian prosperity gospel preachers have made miraculous healing claims, often backed by testimonies of believers. However, these claims are facing renewed skepticism.
The story has been around for nearly 30 years: Preachers claiming miracles, churchgoers giving testimony of healing, and televangelists using that to sell “holy water.” The Nigerian prosperity gospel often has doubters. But then it often survives the doubting Thomases.
Last month, something happened: Angela Andrew, one of the witnesses, discredited a church’s claim of healing her sister who is suffering from hearing and speech impairment.
On her TikTok page, she shared a poster of the church, which had a photo of her sister with a caption, ‘”Sis Ekoma - 30 years Deaf and Dumb healed.”
Ms Andrew said the claim was untrue and that her sister was still unable to speak or hear.
It opened a can of worms.
Adelabu Johnson, 36, came out to say that the same church had claimed her father had healed.
“My father is still lying at home down with stroke, but a church claimed during a revival and miracle crusade in Lagos that the 72-year-old man should be taken home as he had been cured and that it will take six hours for him stand on his feet,” he said. “It is more than a month now, my father is still very sick and we have resolved to depend on conventional medical care.”
Churches have claimed to heal diseases such as cancer, HIV/Aids and even infertility, and they often use the “healed” witnesses to fetch more flock. That gives the preachers numbers -- and tithe.
But this is not the only way to the money. Some clerics are selling “miracle” products -- holy water, anointed oil, anointed handkerchiefs and special snacks to congregations willing to pay anything for wealth.
There are the supporters of this prosperity preaching, and there are critics. The government has lately come in to seek sobriety.
When one of such church, Christ Mercyland Deliverance Ministry, located in Effurun, in the oil-rich Delta State in the south and led by popular televangelist Jeremiah Fufeyin, made a healing claim, the authorities swung into action.
Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (Nafdac) invited Pastor Fufeyin for investigation over his Church’s commercialisation activities.
Nafdac had received a petition late August, alleging that the Church had rebranded bottles containing liquid soaps as healing potions.
The Church was alleged to be selling that bottled “miracle water’’ and “miracle tablet soap” for N3,000 ($2) each, causing an outrage among the public.
Prof Moji Adeyeye, Nafdac director-general, said in a September 8 statement that the petitions raised concerns about selling and advertising various unverified miracle products, including “Miracle & Healing Water” and “The Miracle Water from The Pool of Bethsaida.”
Some believers have continued to testify on the efficacy of the water and ornaments “blessed” by leaders of these churches and attributed their successes to the prayers of the pastors.
Healing and casting of demons are common among the Pentecostal churches. These include Synagogue of All Nations, World of Faith, Dunamis Church, Deeper Christian Life Ministry, the Redeemed Christian Church of God and the Life Gate Ministries and numerous roadside worship centres, according to the regulator who has begun investigating their “products.”
Their healing activities centre around dangerous diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, stroke, cardiovascular disorder and other malignant diseases like cancer and HIV/Aids.
Dr Saibu Ainde Owoeye from Department of Religious Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University, told The EastAfrican that healing is part of Christian practice, and includes casting out of demons, and deliverance from “the power of darkness.”
Modern churches have included deliverance from poverty, he added.
In their posters for crusades and conventions, they implore their members to bring their relatives who are sick for healing.
Authorities said Christ Mercyland Deliverance was being investigated especially after it claimed its holy waters were approved by the Nafdac, prompting several individuals to visit the agency’s offices to verify the claims.
Prof Adeyeye said none of the products were registered and that the church officials denied involvement in producing or selling them.
Despite the criticism and obvious failure of these miracles and products, many Nigerian Christians still patronise “miracle churches” and buy them.
Andrew Simon of World of Faith Ministry in Abuja said that those who say the products do not work or do not believe in the miracles of their pastors “are unbelievers who have no faith.’’
He said that those who believe will continue to reap the benefits of miracles and only “those whose doubts are cast away.’’
The agency declared as bogus brands such as Miracle & Healing Water, River Jordan Water, The Miracle Water from The Pool of Bethsaida, a new beginning Mount Camel Miracle Water, Water of life, Miracle Water from The Pool of Bethsaida, A New Beginning Pool of Bethsaida Water and Father Smelled Perfume.
“We will continue with our investigation into the activities of these faith organisations with regards to products within our mandates that have been reported to be manufactured and sold by them,’’ she said.
In Nigeria, though, politics and religion are difficult to put asunder. Some preachers are politicians, and some politicians are diehard adherents of the churches, or helped found them.
Former vice-president, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, for example, was a cleric before he became a politician and ran both offices concurrently. He asked to churches in Nigeria to shift focus from preaching prosperity and wealth accumulation to emphasising the importance of peace, productivity, and community development.
Osinbajo, a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, warned that when preachers place a premium on benefits and rewards, especially Christians in government and positions of authority, national development suffers, “because the people’s minds will be soiled.”
At a public lecture last month, the former Vice President said: “For too long, our churches have been caught up in the pursuit of personal prosperity and material wealth, neglecting the true calling of the gospel to promote peace, unity, and the holistic development of our society. If we truly want to see Nigeria rise again and fulfil its immense potential, the church must return to its roots, preaching the values of hard work, compassion, and service to the community. It is only through this shift in focus that we can inspire our people to become agents of positive change, rather than mere consumers of prosperity gospel.”
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria has condemned abuse during liturgical celebrations and “commercialisation of the liturgy” in the form of “taking up too many collections and fundraising right in the middle of liturgical celebrations” as well as scamming members.
in a statement on August 15, the bishops said some were using the pulpit to pursue personal interests.
“We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, any and all abuses within the sacred liturgy,’’ Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja said, adding that the bishops would not stand by and watch as a few elements water down what the Church in Nigeria stands for.
