I have known Dr. Mensa Otabil for the past twenty-seven years, precisely on the fifth anniversary of ICGC when I was invited by Sister Helen Derby (now Mrs ‘something’), and together with my friend Louis , now Reverend Kwame KanKam-Boadu who is now an ICT Systems Engineer in the USA and Henry Ayirebi-Acquah.<\/p>\n
We had been witnessed to a few days earlier, and we agreed to join Sister Helen to Church the following Sunday.<\/p>\n
Here was the man who was quick to admit that life had been terrible for him and was determined to change the status quo by preaching the Word of God and motivated his members to push for better lives ahead.<\/p>\n
Remember in those days, we had churches that only thrived by remittances sent to them by affiliate foreign based churches and Christian organizations. This was when as a Pastor of a small church that met at the Baden Powell Memorial Hall, he was determined not to seek such help from any other Christian bodies, but motivated and inspired his congregation to walk the path of prosperity and self-advancement irrespective of one\u2019s background, and that God has placed talents in all of us that can catapult our potential to heights we can dream of and achieve.<\/p>\n
Even at that time, when the ICGC had no fixed asset, Dr. Otabil had big dreams, dreams like building the largest Ghanaian Church, establish a Private University and owning great monuments and establish scholarship Trust to support needy but brilliant students.
\nI was then a waiter at Shilla Restaurant then situated within the Black Caesars Palace at Danquah Circle in Accra.<\/p>\n
I had dropped out of school and did not have any hope of ever developing my life due to shattered dreams of having to drop out of school without any hope of another opportunity to get back to school.<\/p>\n
Most of my colleagues that I met at the church at the time who were determined to rebrand their life through the wisdom and motivational teaching of Dr. Otabil have all attained a much better height in life in including me.<\/p>\n
ICGC has seen tremendous expansion not only in terms of setting up new branches both home and abroad, (over two hundred branches); it has established one of Ghana’s foremost private university Colleges, which in a few weeks will charter into a fully-fledged university.<\/p>\n
A number of Charity projects have been established around the country by one ICGC Assembly or the other. A new student\u2019s hostel at the Osu Children’s Home, several borehole and water projects in different locations, several thousands of scholarship beneficiaries and still counting.<\/p>\n
The Holy Ghost Temple Assembly (ADENTA), recently refurbished the male and female toilets at the Nsawam Prison and also built an ultra-modern JHS with a functional computer lab, and teachers common room at Cheranda, Kintampo South, a five hundred meter tarred road and an ongoing street light project among other projects being undertaken by other ICGC assemblies.<\/p>\n
It is instructive to note that Dr. Otabil’s vision has transformed many lives including yours and many others.<\/p>\n
My friend, Pastor Kwame, is an established ICT engineer today and thriving well in the USA.
\nHe owes so much of his success to the motivational messages by Dr Otabil.<\/p>\n
Mr Henry Ayirebi-Acquah who at onetime was a street boy with no hope for life, is now the Accountant for ICGC Holy Ghost Temple Assembly, with just one paper to pass and become a Chartered Accountant.<\/p>\n
We have thousands of living testimonies of how Dr. Otabil, has impacted lives of otherwise ‘no hopers’.<\/p>\n
His daily sermons on radio stations in Ghana, Kenya and other countries, are the most sought after channels that attract many ears to it.<\/p>\n
Notwithstanding all his achievements, one should also consider the fact that he has private engagements that attract public scrutiny. There have been times that his perspectives on certain issues have stirred the hornets\u2019 nest for some political party supporters including mine, (the NDC).<\/p>\n
We were awash with controversy in 2012, when a portion of a message he preached on Free SHS was ‘taken out of context’ to scuttle the campaign message of the then Flag bearer of the NPP.<\/p>\n
His reaction to that story at a press conference was greeted with a lot of vituperations from different angles whilst other section of politicians basked in it.<\/p>\n
His recent speech at a Spring Programme was not taken lightly for some members of the NDC fraternity when he sought to imply that Ghanaians should not be overly content with road and electricity projects since they remain a minimal portion of development, and that the youth should wrest certain portions of State controls for the Private sector.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile just a week earlier, Muntie fm had used a tape believed to be the voice of Dr. Otabil that asserts that anyone who possesses a character that connotes an ‘all die be die’ persona is not a good company, which was widely publicized in reference to Nana Akufo-Addo because he once used that phrase unguardedly at a meeting with his party youth in Eastern Region.<\/p>\n
This is the man we are talking about. He has attained the status of one whose voice carries so much weight and influence and will continue to remain as such for a long time.<\/p>\n
We the politicians should learn to come to terms that our works will continue to be a subject of scrutiny at any point in time whether in government or out of government.<\/p>\n
Our focus should dwell on the substance of having been given the opportunity to serve our nation in the best way necessary. Our efforts will always be rewarded by the right people in society and also criticized by the same people when they deem it so.<\/p>\n
Politicians are not super humans who are above reproach and we have to be receptive to criticisms, which most times when they are well-taken help to bring the best out of us.<\/p>\n
Dr. Otabil votes like any other Ghanaian and certainly may be inclined towards a political party, but the question is, is it wrong for a pastor to have inclination towards a political party? NO is the answer. But when that NO becomes so pronounced and lopsided it can create reactions that sometimes can reach absurd levels.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s my wish that our men of God will if it\u2019s within their means; eschew passion-inflammable speeches knowing that whenever they walk that path, they put their members like us in the line of fire.<\/p>\n
We the politicians in their congregation have allegiances to both our political parties and them. We love them both.
\n–
\nBy: Kojo Adu-Asare (Former NDC MP for Adentan & now a presidential staffer)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I have known Dr. Mensa Otabil for the past twenty-seven years, precisely on the fifth anniversary of ICGC when I was invited by Sister Helen Derby (now Mrs ‘something’), and together with my friend Louis , now Reverend Kwame KanKam-Boadu who is now an ICT Systems Engineer in the USA and Henry Ayirebi-Acquah. We had […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":3230,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5,374,11],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n