Visits to SCOAN down by as much as 90%

SCOAN auditorium during busier times

A few days ago the trial finally got underway, and day one revealed a massive bombshell. The six storey building that collapsed, was built without the services of a structural engineer. Yes, that’s right – six storeys built without involving anyone who is trained to know whether or not the structure will be safe. This is a major blow to SCOAN that will be hard to recover from, and is likely only the first of many other revelations. 

Meanwhile, a news report is circulating containing an interview with a hotelier close to the SCOAN compound in Lagos. According to the report, there are around 3500 beds in all the local hotels and before the building collapse when SCOAN were conducting 3 meetings a week, occupancy rate would be 100%, rooms would be very hard to come by. Since the collapse, occupancy rates fluctuate between zero and 10% all week long (source).

This is corroborated by a source we’ve spoken to who has visited SCOAN during this period. While it may look full on camera, we’re told there are large parts of the auditorium that aren’t used (never seen on camera), and poorer visitors are put in a tent outside marked as “overflow” (ahem, James 2:1-40) to continue the illusion that things are good, even though there is ample space available in the main room.

The most interesting quote in the article is the hotelier’s plea to the government “We insist that government should understand that being a destination, all over the world, when there is accident, they should put in machineries to get to the root of the accident, take action where necessary without portraying the destination as unsafe and also overtly discouraging people from visiting there.” (emphasis ours). In other words, the uncertainty about the cause of the collapse is the very thing keeping people away. If SCOAN had cooperated from the very start, the structural failure was quickly found, all other buildings inspected and certified as safe, then people would have had confidence to keep coming. Instead, most of the people who might consider visiting SCOAN most likely believe in the strange aircraft/ultrasonic weapon theory SCOAN has been propagating. If this unknown weapon from an unknown source was the cause of the collapse, and TB Joshua was their intended target, then who would want to be anywhere near him? So ironically, SCOAN’s lies have been the very thing that have caused a massive drop in their popularity. Even more evidence that the revelations we’ll hear from the trial are a lot more serious than “forgetting to fill out the relevant paperwork”.

Recommended reading:

• What the coroner really said about TB Joshua’s deathtrap building
• Questions SCOAN must answer about the “attack” on their building