Religious tourists desert Synagogue

The premises of the Synagogue Church of All Nations had always been a beehive of religious tourism at weekends and during public holidays. But the sprawling edifice was unusually desolate during the Eid-El Kabir holiday.Unlike when people trooped to the church to book appointment with the founder and head of the church, TB Joshua, the premises were deserted on Monday and Tuesday, an indication that the church had yet to get over the recent building collapse that killed over 100 worshipers...

Our correspondent, who visited the church on Monday and Tuesday, observed the presence of security guards and police officers on the premises.There were no visitors that were milling around the gates for enquiries.The Ejigbo-Ikotun Road, a major access to the religious centre, was also free of the typical gridlock that welcomes visitors to the Synagogue.The parking lots were also unoccupied just as roads leading to the car parks and offices were bare.A security guard said the church was not deserted but affected by the “panic people expressed when there is a disaster at a location.”He said those who were faithful to the church still turned up for programmes as usual.But a resident of the area, Kazim Owolabi, said things had never been the same since the September 12 incident.Owolabi, who is a part-time hotel agent, said, “I have not brokered any business in the past three weeks. I think a lot of people have misunderstood what is happening here. Somebody even asked me on the telephone whether it is true that the government has taken over the place. Since many people who come from outside Lagos are not sure of the true situation, they called off their appointments.”