Archbishop Nicholas Okoh has urged Nigerians to seek medical attention if they suspect they have been infected by the Ebola virus, and not to look to faith healing as a cure for the disease. Speaking to reporters on 5 August 2014 the primate of the Church of Nigeria said “God can cure anything, but that is not to say people should go to the church to get the cure for Ebola …” He noted that Ebola was “something devastating and time is of the essence. If you lose time, you lose lives. So, if anybody has any suspicion, he should go to the medical authorities.” He added that this “is not to say that they should not pray, because in every cure, you need a combination of both spiritual and scientific approach.” The archbishop’s remarks stand in contrast to claims made by faith healers in Nigeria. T.B. Joshua, (pictured) one of the country’s most popular preachers, last week shipped to Guinea 4000 bottles of water he had blessed. He told members of his Synagogue Church of All Nations — one of the largest megachurches in Nigeria – that the holy water would heal those infected by the disease. “At the beginning of this year, we said there will be a deadly disease…I mentioned it as one of the prophecies. …When this anointing water came, I told you I could not allow it anywhere because I was foreseeing what is coming…,” he said.
