Mensa Otabil Faces Criticisms Over Ghanaian Capital Bank Collapse – Cleric Tells Christians “Shut Up!”

Head Pastor of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), Dr. Mensa Otabil has been under strong criticisms after the collapse of the Ghanaian-owned Capital Bank. Otabil was the Board Chairman of Capital Bank.

The Bank of Ghana which revoked the bank’s licence said it had become insolvent.

Since the collapse of the bank, several stories about the poor management of the bank and weak supervisory role of the bank’s board have emerged.

Its founder, William Ato Essien, is under investigation as are other shareholders and directors. Pastor Otabil has said he is cooperating with investigations.

Otabil’s supporters have been running campaign with the hashtag #istandwithotabil on social media in solidarity and explains that it is about protecting the revered pastor’s honour against ungodly and unsavoury attacks.

Charismatic Christian leader, Archbishop Duncan-Williams, who is the founder of Action Chapel International has weighed in on the issue, telling Christians to let the authorities handle the situation. He said Christians should not join the rest of the world to condemn the man of God.

“The situation with Dr Mensa Otabil, I want to caution every Christian to shut your mouth. Number two, the Bible says judge not and you may not be judged. So shut your mouths, stop talking about things you don’t understand. Somebody asked me what do you think and I said I don’t think anything, I don’t understand, I don’t know the details so let the authorities handle the situation. Don’t talk too much Christians, you talk too much. Shut your mouth…tell somebody to shut your big mouth.

“Now, I’m saying that to Christians, as for unbelievers and the heathens they have the right to talk, their day will come. But for us Christians we are under God’s Constitution,”  he said.

Dr. Mensa Otabil in a statement said, although he was the bank’s Board Chairman, his position was non-executive, therefore he was not involved in the day-to-day management and operations of the Bank. The statement only helped fueled criticisms the more as many saw it as a way to exonerate himself.

However, a legal practitioner Yonny Kulendi on Newsfile, defended the content of statement saying it was a “statement of fact and a statement of law.”

A day after, Pastor Otabil offered an explanation to his church members in the following words.

“I felt that as your pastor I owe you an explanation to come to church and to make a statement on what my views are so that when you go out and people come up with information you will have a response to give to them. So this morning I came to make a response and there are three statements I will make in regard to the response I want to give and which I expect you to carry along to explain.

“My first statement is that God is good. My second statement is that God is good and my third statement is God is good.”

He charged members to come to church to worship God and not man of God.