By Nadia Ntiamoah
A Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Louis Adu-Poku, has issued a stern warning to President John Dramani Mahama, urging him to pay closer attention to voices that challenge his administration rather than surrounding himself with people who only tell him what he wants to hear.
According to the priest, Ghana is, “in all indications,” not moving in the right direction, despite assurances that the country is making progress. He cautioned the President against relying exclusively on advisers and political actors who may present a favourable picture of the country while deliberately avoiding difficult truths.
Fr. Adu-Poku made the remarks while addressing the President directly, stressing that his intervention was not merely that of an ordinary citizen but that of a Catholic priest and a servant of God.
“Respectfully, keep listening to people who will tell you the truth,” he urged President Mahama, warning that those who continually assure the President that everything is going well could be misleading him.
The priest grounded his warning in biblical history, citing the account of King Ahab in 1 Kings 22 as an example of the danger of surrounding a leader with voices that simply reinforce what the leader wants to hear.
He recalled that Ahab was surrounded by about 400 prophets who prophesied favourably to him, while the prophet Micaiah stood out as the lone dissenting voice willing to tell the king what he believed was the truth.
According to Fr. Adu-Poku, Ahab failed to listen to Micaiah, with the biblical account ultimately leading to the king’s death. He used the episode to caution President Mahama that leaders must not dismiss uncomfortable voices simply because those voices challenge the government’s preferred narrative.
The priest also raised concerns about what he described as attempts by “unseen hands” to influence the direction of Ghana. He suggested that some individuals were working behind the scenes to influence the country’s affairs, although he did not publicly identify those individuals.
He maintained that some people were aware of these developments and had been praying about them.
“Any attempt, any schemes to run this country over by unseen hands will never happen, whether you are aware or not,” he said, adding that he believed some people had received spiritual revelations concerning those allegedly working behind the scenes to influence the nation.
Fr. Adu-Poku’s most direct criticism, however, centred on the government’s handling of illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
He reminded President Mahama of the commitment to tackle illegal mining, including the promise to make significant progress within the administration’s first 100 days.
Although acknowledging that he might not have quoted the President’s exact words, the priest argued that the situation on the ground suggested that galamsey had worsened rather than disappeared.
“Galamsey has worsened under your tenure,” he stated, expressing concern that people who genuinely raise questions about the illegal mining crisis are increasingly subjected to attacks, particularly on social media.
He criticised what he described as a growing culture in which citizens, young people and social media commentators allegedly attack those who speak critically about the government’s handling of the problem instead of engaging with the substance of their concerns.
For the priest, such attacks should not replace serious listening and political accountability.
He therefore appealed to President Mahama to deliberately create room for discerning voices, including critics who may provide uncomfortable assessments of the government’s performance.
His intervention comes against the backdrop of Ghana’s long-running struggle with illegal mining, an issue that has repeatedly generated public anger because of its impact on rivers, forests, farmlands and communities.
Galamsey has remained one of the most politically sensitive environmental issues in Ghana, with successive governments promising to confront the practice but struggling to completely eradicate it.
Fr. Adu-Poku’s warning places the issue beyond conventional partisan politics, presenting it as a question of leadership, truth and moral responsibility.
The priest also reminded President Mahama that political power is temporary and that leaders ultimately leave office and face judgment based on the decisions they make while in power.
“You have a few years to live the scene,” he cautioned, urging the President to consider carefully the legacy he wants to leave behind.
He said President Mahama has a choice between using his tenure to make a positive name for himself and the country or leaving office with his reputation damaged by decisions that could have been avoided.
“It is either you allow God to make a name with you or you disgrace yourself before you leave the scene,” he said.
Despite the strong nature of his criticism, Fr. Adu-Poku said he and others would continue to pray for President Mahama, stressing that he believed the President had been entrusted with the responsibility of leading the country.
He therefore called on the President to listen, reflect and make decisions that would serve the broader interests of Ghana rather than the interests of individuals surrounding him.
The priest’s message ultimately centred on one fundamental warning: a leader who listens only to praise risks losing sight of the realities facing the people.
