Concerned Clergy To Petition Prez Mahama Over Oye Lithur’s Appointment

The religious group opposing the nomination of Nana Oye Lithur as Ministry for Gender, Children, and Social Protection has stated it will petition President John Mahama and Parliament on Tuesday.

Speaking on Citi FM’s evening news analysis program, Eyewitness News,, Spokesman for the group, Bishop Prince Benny Wood, noted: “We intend petitioning the president and parliament to reconsider the nomination. We are sure that even though we haven’t made a formal petition we hope that the government has heard us. But if nothing positive happens then tomorrow we are going to petition the President and the Parliament house. We are not against (her) as a person, but we are protecting the sanctity of the future of this nation.”

The group has been critical since the announcement of the nomination of Nana Oye Lithur to the Gender, Children, and Social Protection Ministry and Dr. Raymond Atuguba for the position of Executive Secretary to the President.

According to Bishop Prince Benny Wood, a pastor at the Power Vision International, “You can’t define Human Rights with that kind of immorality (homosexuality). That kind of position we take, always in the name of human rights, is what is destroying this world. We can’t continue to define human rights with that kind of morality.”

“We are not saying that people should take cutlasses and sticks and go and kill people. We are saying that someone is doing something that isn’t right we should be able to tell them that it is wrong and if the person needs helps we should give him or her help instead of hiding behind human rights and supporting evil. That is all we are talking about!”

Seeking to draw some parallels, Bishop Benny Wood indicated that, “President Obama, before he became a Senator in America, his views on homosexuality changed because of the appointment he was given. So I am speaking based on historical evidence. People you appoint to assist you in offices can influence your decision. We want to know from the government whether the position President Mills took on behalf of Ghana as far as homosexuality is concerned has been reviewed or it stands the same.”