Henry Ojelu

Nigerian pastor TB Joshua speaks during a New Year’s memorial service for the South African relatives of those killed in a building collapse at his Lagos megachurch on December 31, 2014. 

The founder of Synagogue, Church of All Nations, Prophet T.B Joshua is holding a memorial service today in South Africa for  victims of the September 12, 2014 building collapse in the Ikotun, Lagos premises of the church.

About 116 pilgrims, 81 of them  from South Africa died September 12 last year when a guest house within the premises of the church collapsed.

The church initially attributed the collapse to a strange aircraft flying very close to the building before the collapse.

A coroners inquest set up by the Lagos State government to investigate the incident had however ruled that the  firm which constructed the building, was responsible for the collapse.

The church was also indicted in the collapse for not obtaining all necessary building approval plan before the commencement of the construction of the building.

The Lagos State Government is yet to implement the recommendation of the Coroner which insisted that the contractor should be tried for criminal negligence.

As part of activities to commemorate the tragedy, the Synagogue church through a statement said that TB Joshua has sent a delegation from Nigeria to take part in activities leading to the memorial.

The statement quoted the man called the prophet as saying  that the deceased, mostly South Africans, were on an appointment with God when they met their death and therefore believes that they did not die in vain.