The Founder and General Overseer of the Christian Action Faith Ministries, Archbishop Nicholas Duncan Williams, has warned that Ghana could walk the path of Cote d'Ivoire in 2012 if its politicians do not refrain from utterances that fan hatred and enmity. While admonishing politicians to prioritise the country's peace and national cohesion ahead of personal and partisan interests, he urged religious leaders to rise and pray for the nation. “We are not different from them. They are our brothers and sisters. What is happening there could happen here if we do not begin to take a cue or learn lessons so we could avoid their short comings,” he said. Archbishop Duncan-Williams said, "If prayers are not said and politicians do not manage their utterances, we may find ourselves in a situation where the baby will have to be divided.” “We cannot divide this nation; we have to keep it together for generations yet unborn,” he said, adding, “If you look at what is happening in Burkina Faso and other parts of Africa, it just tells us that we have a serious responsibility to guard and protect the peace in this country. It is very easy to lose it,” he told the Daily Graphic in an interview. He said it would be suicidal for Ghanaians, religious organisations and political leaders to ignore the signs of what was going on around us, since “nothing is secure, nothing is permanent, times change and anything can happen”. The Archbishop urged the media not to use their platform to ignite political tension, saying, “If you look at the Rwandan genocide, it was radio discussions that ignited it. So people should be careful of what they do with their freedom of expression.” “We must have a sense of responsibility to the freedom we have because freedom is not cheap,” he said, adding, “At the end of the day, we will be held accountable for the things we say or do today by God or posterity.” He said it was in the light of that, that he was collaborating with other ministers of the Gospel nationwide to mobilise Christian leaders throughout the country to pray together and intercede on behalf of the nation through “the Believers All-Night Sessions”. Archbishop Duncan-Williams, who is also the Chairman of the National Association of Charismatic and Christian Churches (NACCC), said even though churches played many roles in the development of the nation, it was important that those engaged in other activities outside the church, including running businesses, paid taxes. He said a legacy he would like to leave behind was to bring the Christian community into a divine alignment with God's purpose. He urged the Christian community not to dwell on negativity, but be challenged “to celebrate the achievements of one another, instead of character assassination and back-biting which can only destroy us”. Source: Daily Graphic/Ghana