•Long Before He Died
Not many knew that for several years, the late founder of the Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) Prophet TB Joshua, and Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams, were not the best of friends. Incidentally, they are both from the same place, Arigidi in Ondo State and are both regarded as two of the most illustrious sons of the town. But, for many years while TB Joshua was alive, they were somewhat unfriendly to each other and never quite saw eye to eye. They both avoided each other like plague. If there was an occasion in the community that would bring them together, one would rather stay away and let the other attend. But they never physically exchanged words or assaulted each other, it never got that bad as the 2 respected personalities of the town applied tact and maturity all through the period their rift lasted. But what was the reason for the conflict and how was it resolved? Let us tell you.
From City People’s findings, the rift between the two juggernauts started when the traditional process for finding the new Zaki of Arigidi-Akoko began almost twenty years ago. The stool was vacant at the time and the town needed to find a new Oba to replace the former king who had passed on. The current king, the Zaki of Arigidi-Akoko, Oba Yisa Olanipekun, who has been on the stool for over 12-years now, was favoured and backed by the Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land, Gani Adams, while his opposition to the throne was favoured and supported by late TB Joshua. Both juggernauts threw their weight behind their preferred candidates and after a protracted tussle that threw up a lot of mudslinging from both camps (the case is still in court) Dr. Yisa Olanipekun, Aare Gani Adam’s preferred candidate, took over as the new Zaki of Arigidi-Akoko. But that did not stop the rivalry between these two outstanding sons of Arigidi. They continued their silent enmity and rivalry until some years ago when the late Prophet TB Joshua, being the older of the two, began to reach out to the Zaki, Oba Yisa Olanipekun. The respected man of God waved the Olive branch and started to show support for the new king. And of course, the extremely grateful king opened his doors to him and there began a friendship that would, in effect, terminate the rift between Aare Gani Adams and his brother, TB Joshua. Oba Yisa Olanipekun was no longer Gani Adams favoured alone, he had also gotten the support and blessings of Arigidi’s illustrious son, Prophet TB Joshua.
In an interview granted City People by Oba Yisa Olanipekun a little over a year ago, the Zaki of Arigidi-Akoko first revealed how he met Aare Gani Adams. “To start with, Gani Adam’s father’s mother comes from this palace. I knew him when we were doing a festival in Arigidi. I hadn’t been made king then. He lodged in my Hotel. We do the festival every 9 years. That was how we knew each other. And when the Obaship happened, as I said earlier, he cares about this community. When the late Zaki passed on, he came home and he sent for me. We met at the hotel. He asked what my position regarding the kingship. I told him how much I was interested it. He said “Egbon, I’ve done a lot of research on you, if this community will not make mistake and choose another person they will see in future that God chose you”. He called a man that day to consult the Oracle. That person has never seen me before, but the first word that came out of him after divination was “Kabiyesi ooo”. He said to Aare “Oga, Oba ni Okunrin yii”. That was how the journey started and he told me that he’s going to give me all the necessary support and he did.
He gave me cash up to 670k. The first time, he gave me a cheque of N250k, at times 60k, at times 100k. That was how it started. Then, he had meetings with Kingmakers on several occasions. Out of 10 Kingmakers that were there on that day, 9 voted for me that’s how we became close.”
It was several years later that the rift between the three of them (TB Joshua, Gani Adams and the Zaki) was finally settle and put behind them. It was late TB Joshua who took the bold step by reaching out to the Zaki to support him. Hear him: “TB Joshua was supporting my opponents. It was a very big battle. Aare was supporting me, T.B Joshua was supporting them but I thank God today, now we are all together. If you look at that place you will see the project going on there, he said he wants to build another palace for me, a duplex. He gave me 2 million to start, as you can see. We have done the foundation and you can see the block there. He also gave me this Range Rover, that is to tell you that all of us are together now. There is no month he will not send money to me. He’s very nice to me now,” said the extremely delighted king.
Little wonder it was a visibly shaken and saddened Aare Gani Adams who mourned the passing of his kinsman when he penned an emotional tribute: “I received the news of the death of my brother, Prophet TB Joshua with a heavy heart and deep sorrow. It is really devastating to hear such a sad news breaking like a wildfire. Prophet TB Joshua was an Iroko tree, an abode for many souls. His life was a complete definition of God’s generosity and philosophy. He was very humble, gentle and generous to a fault. His large- heartedness knows no tribe, colour, ethnicity, language or religion. He was simply a winner of souls even spreading beyond the shores of Nigeria. He opened a new vista in religious tourism, and Nigeria earned a lot, in terms of foreign exchange from his accommodating spirit. With his death, there has been an eclipse in God’s vineyard.”
Aare Gani Adams, however, prayed for God to grant the immediate family, his kinsmen, the church and the country the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss.
-WALE LAWAL
