“Why do you want to marry a rich man You can buy your iPhone 15 by yourself” – Otabil asks women

According to a report by Ghanaweb on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, Pastor Mensa Otabil, General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), has criticised women who aim to marry wealthy men instead of building wealth of their own.

In a video shared on social media on October 12, 2026, the cleric questioned the thinking behind the stance that a woman wants to marry a rich man. Saying so, he argued, amounts to admitting she cannot become rich by herself. He asked what such women are really after, and pointed out that they would have no time for a man without money but would give all their attention to their own lack of it.

Pastor Otabil also took aim at the way some African movies portray women as people who can only survive through a benevolent rich man. He said he finds the narrative irritating and challenged the idea that a woman cannot succeed without a male benefactor.

Calling the notion “African nonsense”, he urged women not to buy into it. According to him, with God’s help they can rise above their limitations and succeed independently. He offered a practical example: a woman should be able to buy an iPhone 15 on her own, and only afterwards go looking for a man of modest means to marry, if that is her wish.

The video was circulated by Hitz 103.9 FM on X, where the station summarised his message as a rebuke of women who go after rich men.

Pastor Otabil’s message to women was clear: build your own success rather than depend on a wealthy man for it.

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