“Lying” Dag Hayward Mills In The Crosshair of Asante Youth Group

-Group Threatens A Closedown of Lighthouse Chapel

The Founder and leader of the Lighthouse Chapel International, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills, has come under fire from five Youth groups in the Asante Kingdom who have vowed to close down his churches for the “avalanche” of offensive insults hurled at the Asante King, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II. 

“We call on Dag Heward Mills to seek wise counsel within 48 hours or none of his churches would be permitted to operate within the Asanteman enclave afterwards,” the group said in a press statement released today.

In a leaked audio, Heward-Mills in a sermon with his members described the Asante King as “useless” saying he had no legacy except for sex, children and throwing grand ceremonies and parties.

“If the Otumfuo or whoever is there is the real king of the people, when he goes we say this is what he did for the Asante people, not that he ate more food, travelled to Europe or had more wives…That is not the art of being a King…,” Heward-Mills is heard saying in the leaked audio.

He slammed the Otumfuo for being unfit to be referred to as “King Solomon”. 

“Do you know what King Solomon [the biblical character] built?… Be very careful when giving such nicknames to somebody…They are often the most useless types of kings that ever existed,” he fired.

The audio has obviously offended Asnates with several calling for the head of Heward Mills.

The anger forced the embattled preacher to issue a quick apology. 

In a statement on Saturday, June 19, 2021, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills apologised to the Asantehene, explaining that the message was preached nearly 20 years ago but had been taken out of context and “maliciously” circulated.

 “I am deeply saddened that a message I shared at a conference, nearly 20 years ago, has been taken out of its context and circulated by persons who have previously declared that they will maliciously cause our churches in Kumasi to be closed down,” he pleaded.

“I wish to apologise to His Majesty, Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II, for any disrespect, insult or harm caused him or his royal court. Please accept my profound apologies for the statements I made,” excerpts of the statement read.

However, critics have already pointed out untruths in Heward Mills’ apology. In the statement, he claimed he did the sermon some 20 years ago, but the voice in the leaked audio was referencing the Otumfuo’s massive funeral organised for the recently deceased queen mother of Asante, Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem

Heward-Mills in his leaked audio mentioned how Otumfuo had wastefully staged a grand funeral for the queen mother at the Kumasi Sports Stadium.

The funeral rites spanned January 2017 and December 2017, so Mr. Heward Mills could not have been making that statement in the leaked audio some 20 years ago.