Front view of the stadium
Information gathered by DAILY GUIDE indicates that the authorities at the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium in Tamale have denied some churches and Christian organizations the opportunity to renew their permits of churches to hold meetings and services at the facility.
Authorities of the Tamale Sports Stadium renamed it after late Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama recently.
The affected churches include Holy Hill Chapel, Grace Gospel Ministries, Converted Christian Ministry and RTA.
According to reports, some opinion leaders in the region are demanding the renewal of the permits of the churches to enable them continue the work of God.
The Northern Regional Director of the National Sports Authority, Salamatu Alhassan told DAILY GUIDE that the ban on church activities at the Aliu Mahama Stadium is to pave way for sports programmes.
“This year, we have sports programmes and we have to accommodate our athletes and we are short of rooms,” she said.
Madam Alhassan, however, hinted that the matter is pending before court and would not make further comments on it.
According to the director, churches and the Muslim communities can use the stadium for their crusade and weekend programmes but not the halls.
She denied reports of deliberate attack on Christianity in the Northern Region.
“Some of the churches have not even paid their rent for four years as well as utility bills,” she added.
She alleged that one of the churches electricity supply was disconnected by management, but surprisingly the electricity was reconnected by the church without the knowledge of management.
Meanwhile, Prophet Godwin Sarfo, founder and General Overseer of the Holy Hill Church, one of the affected churches, has indicated that the directive is a calculated attempt to undermine Christianity in the region.
He added that allowing other institutions to operate in the facility while denying others the opportunity can only be described as religious sabotage, which has the tendency to disturb the peace in the region.
From Eric Kombat, Tamale