National Day of Prayer is needless – Chief Imam

Sheikh Hassan Hassan, Chief Imam of the Madina Central Mosque, has dismissed Ghana’s National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving as a pointless event, stressing that it holds no real value in a society plagued by indiscipline and a lack of patriotism.

Speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, the Islamic cleric criticised the initiative, stating that despite Ghana being a highly religious country—with Christians forming the majority, followed by Muslims and other faiths—the nation remains overrun with corruption, dishonesty, crime, and moral decay.

“We have Christians who go to church every Sunday, some even during the week, and Muslims who pray five times a day—yet evil continues to thrive,” he said.

According to Sheikh Hassan, simply setting aside a day for national prayer is not enough if the people themselves are not committed to doing the right thing.

“Let’s be honest. Without discipline, honesty, and love for the nation, all these prayers are a waste of time and resources,” he emphasised. “We pray all the time already. There is nothing new about this. The African understanding of religion is problematic—we think everything is about praying, but we forget that God gave us the brains and the land to work and make things happen.”

He criticised the idea of citing developed countries like China, Japan, the US, and the UK during the prayer sessions as examples of progress, pointing out that these nations don’t hold national days of prayer, yet they are far ahead in development.

“So why this obsession with prayer as if it is a magic wand? It doesn’t work like that. Those countries developed because they are disciplined and work hard. We, on the other hand, are praying but continue to lie, steal, and report to work late,” he lamented.

Sheikh Hassan concluded his remarks by calling on Ghanaians—especially the religious majority—to lead by example.

“We are mostly Christians and Muslims, yet the very people stealing and doing evil are from among us. Until we change our behaviour, we are just mocking God. Development doesn’t come through laziness and religious showmanship. It comes through discipline, hard work, and integrity.”