Pastor Mensa Otabil finally reacts to Capital Bank collapse

Bank of Ghana on Monday, 14th August, 2017 announced the takeover of UT and Capital Banks by GCB Bank Ltd.

A statement issued by the central bank indicated that: “the Bank of Ghana has revoked the licenses of UT Bank Ltd and Capital Bank Ltd. This action has become necessary due to severe impairment of their capital. The remaining assets and liabilities will be realised and settled respectively through a receivership process to be undertaken by Messers Vish Ashiagbor and Eric Nana Nipah of PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Pastor Mensa Otabil was the chairman of the board of directors of capital bank and his church as well as Otabil and Associates owns 3% shares in the bank.

Reacting to the collapse of the bank, he said it took him some days before he encouraged himself in God’s word and he was able put himself together.

“…on Tuesday and Wednesday, my mind was in the wrong place but on Thursday, my mind came to the right place…” he disclosed.

Speaking to his congregation on Sunday, 20th August, 2017, Pastor Otabil further indicated: “Last week when I preached nothing missing, I didn’t know I was preaching to myself…I thought I was an expert in dealing with storms but once in a while a big one comes and you say wao!!!! And this week was one of them but God is good. Monday was a good day for me, Tuesday was not a very good day for me, Wednesday day was a very terrible day for me…Whenever you are going through a difficulty… the thing about problem is that even if you don’t look for it, it will look for you; problem has a way of tracking down people…so sometimes you will just be sitting somewhere minding your own business then something hits that you didn’t expect”

How he pulled through

Preaching on the sermon ‘Peace’: Isaiah 26:2-4 (Open the gates, that the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in. You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, For in YAH, the Lord, is everlasting strength) he said he was able to get hold of his mind, to prepare his sermon.

He decided not to focus on the bad news but concentrate on his calling which is preaching and teaching the word of God.

According to him, “when you go through any difficulty, what you have to deal with is the mind because it is in the mind that you can have peace or not have peace…if you lose the battle of the mind, you lose the battle of life. whatever or whoever owns your mind will control how you respond to what you are going through…

Oh yes I have had some realities this week…you see when people who have no right to insult you, insult you, that is reality…you look at the person insulting you and the person sometimes himself looks like an insult…that is reality. Reality is when it is hitting; when all kinds of staff is hitting you…there are people who will kick you when you are down and that is the reality. How you deal with your memories, reality of what is going on and imagination, will determine whether you have peace or not…For me, this is what helped me; getting hold of my mind and on Thursday morning I woke up and I said I have a church to preach to on Sunday; they are not going to listen to Pastor’s trouble, they need a word of encouragement…overcoming a storm is going to be difficult but when you stay in God he will give you perfect peace. Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all…”

Critics

Reacting to those who ‘attacked’ him after news of the takeover broke; he said he decided not to think of their insults and comments because it is not worth the use of his ‘mental energy’

“…you can’t think about that. You can’t also think about yourself too much because when you think about yourself, you feel pity for yourself, there has to be a focus to where you put your memories, realities and imagination, it is a discipline, you have to control your mind and guide your mind to go where it doesn’t want to go. This week I have really learnt to guide my mind”

“After all is said and done, I will come out as gold…”