In an address to his congregation, Ghanaian cleric Bishop Sam Owusu has voiced disappointment over what he perceives as a lack of support for local clergy compared to their Nigerian counterparts.
The Senior Pastor of Pottersville church, East Legon Hills, Accra, Owusu expressed dismay at Ghanaians’ enthusiastic embrace of Nigerian pastors while sometimes denigrating their own religious leaders.
Owusu’s comments came in the wake of a highly attended conference hosted by Nigerian Pastor Jerry Eze in Ghana, drawing over 60,000 attendees. Referred to as the Nations’ Service Project with Pastor Jerry Eze, the event generated significant buzz on social media platforms.
In a viral video clip circulating online, Owusu lamented the tendency of Ghanaians to label their own pastors as fake while according reverence and support to Nigerian ministers. He criticized what he saw as a lack of national pride, stating, “We don’t respect our own and we don’t honour our own and we don’t love our own. We celebrate foreigners more than our own.”
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Highlighting the disparity in attendance between Ghanaian and Nigerian religious gatherings, Owusu emphasized that Ghanaian pastors would not likely draw similar crowds in Nigeria. He noted the absence of large Ghanaian churches in Nigeria and underscored the importance of national loyalty in supporting local religious leaders.
The bishop’s remarks have ignited a broader conversation on social media, with many individuals weighing in on the dynamics of national identity and religious allegiance. Some commentators have pointed to the historical and cultural ties between Ghana and Nigeria, noting a pattern of friendly competition between the two countries across various domains, including music, sports, and cuisine.
