In one of his preachings to his congregants, Dr. Mensah Otabil is reported to have called on Christians in Ghana to pray for the country. His explanation was that he had a vision, sort of, to the effect that something unseemly stands to happen in Ghana in a month’s time.
It was for fear of this occurrence that he asked his congregants to pray to avert such an occurrence. I read Dr Otabil’s message to his congregants and did not hear him refer to the current election petition to be the angle from where the said untoward happenings will come from.
I was particularly happy that he called for prayers for Ghana like we hear people and other groupings calling for prayers for the country. Even John Dramani Mahama whose validity as President is being challenged at the Supreme Court of Ghana was reported to have put some “financiers” together to sponsor some pastors to take a trip to Jerusalem to pray for Ghana.
So in principle, there is nothing absolutely wrong with praying for one’s country whether at the instance of a Prophecy or on one’s own volition. I was therefore deeply disappointed that some NDC communicators strangely decided to take issue with a simple call for prayer for Ghana to avoid a calamity. When have calls for prayers for one’s country become a crime in Ghana?
Why this gratuitous politicisation of everything in Ghana? Hasn’t Dr. Mensah Otabil who has Churches in Ghana and many followers the right to call on his congregants to pray for Ghana when he had a vision or otherwise? Why?
I must say my disappointment got worse when I read a news item in which Bombande of the West African Network for Peace Building came out to dispute what Dr Otabil said.
I asked myself whether WANEP has now become a Church and Bombande a Prophet. Why do some of these our peace building experts not know when to talk and when not to talk? To me this was purely a religious and spiritual issue coming from a renowned preacher and didn’t have to take Bombande and his WANEP to dispute it.
No peace building strategy can work on this earth without prayers too. WANEP needed to know this and try to stay away from challenging preachers whose only crime is telling their congregants the vision they have had and calling for prayers for Mother Ghana.
Even recently, John Dramani Mahama in a meeting with the Muslim caucus in parliament called on them to use the month of Ramadan to pray for peace and stability for Ghana. Bombande and his WANEP did not see anything wrong with that.
I honestly used to admire Bombande a lot but his comments in recent times do not appeal to me at all. I still remember when he struggled to speak against the live telecast of the current election petition hearing by GTV and the strange excuses he was mounting.
Some of these Think Tanks and their Executive Directors talk a lot. Nobody can know everything. For instance my background is media and I rarely talk about Economics or Medicine. Why can’t others too learn to know when to talk and what to talk on?
There is nothing wrong with praying for one’s country for peace and stability. Dr Otabil must be hailed for his prophecy and all those who can join pray for peace for Ghana should not hesitate to do so.
We cannot be complacent about peace in Ghana after the Supreme Court ruling on the Presidential election petition. We have seen how some key players in the case have said something when they are outside Ghana on the BBC, and what they say when they are at their party Headquarters.
Am done! Happy Ramadan to my fellow Muslims including you!
Akilu Sayibu
Email: Akilu.Sayibu@live.uwe.ac.uk
