Founder and Presiding Bishop of the United Denominations of Lighthouse Group of Churches (UDLGC), Bishop Dag Howard-Mills has said that the second coming of President John Dramani Mahama as Ghana’s head of state makes him a memorable and outstanding man because he is the first to have done that.
“It is a blessing to have you back as president” he said, as he led the ecstatic throng of congregants to pray for what he called “four gifts for four years” for the President during the church’s Good Friday Service at the Independence Square in Accra.
President John Mahama was the special guest of honour at the service, which was attended by hundreds of thousands of congregants who filled the entire parade ground and stands at the Independence Square.
Before President John Mahama mounted the podium to deliver his speech, or rather sermon as the guest of honour, Bishop Dag led the congregation to pray for four specific gifts for the president:
- The gift of Moses – to lead Ghana out of 68 years of under-development into prosperity (Hosea 12:13)
- The gift of Solomon – wisdom and understanding to be memorable and outstanding during his second four-year term (1Kings 3:12)
- The gift of the Messiah – to have a good government, characterized by judgement (wise decisions), justice (fairness to all) and peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
- The gift of David – for long life, prosperity and honour. (1Chronicles 29:28)
It was during the prayer for the gift of Solomon that Bishop Dag said even the second coming of President John Mahama alone makes him memorable and outstanding among his peers because that was the first time anyone had made a comeback as president in the history of Ghana’s electoral democracy.
President John Mahama served his first term between 2012 and 2016, after had succeeded the late President John Evan Ata Mills, who died in June 2011, six months before he could complete his first four-year term as President. John Mahama was then the Vice President so, he was sworn into office upon the demise of his boss the president to complete the remaining six months.
John Mahama lost the 2016 elections to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who remained in office for eight years. After staying in opposition for eight long years, President Mahama made a comeback in 2024 and won the election with a landslide (57.5%), and gained the mandate of Ghanaians for a second term, which is historic.
Bishop Dag Heward-Mills noted that, whereas that feat makes President Mahama unique among his peers, it is also important for Ghanaians, particularly the church, to pray for him to leave a legacy in terms of performance as president.
He cited Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as an example of a leader who was memorable and outstanding because after leading Ghana to its independence from British colonial rule in 1957, Dr. Nkrumah also built critical monuments and infrastructure like the Independent Square, KNUST, 7,000 schools across the country, Ghana’s only international airport, and turned Tema from a fishing village into an industry city with hundreds of factories plus more.
Bishop Dag said the four gifts the church prayed for are meant for President Mahama to be granted wisdom to take bold and good decisions that will lift Ghana from its current state into prosperity, and for him to treat every citizen with fairness, so that he will live long and be remembered as a great and honourable leader.
Indeed, in making his comeback, President John Mahama campaigned on the message of a reset and legacy, promising Ghanaians that he intends to reset the economy and leave a legacy for which he will be remembered long after he has left office.
Bishop Dag described President Mahama as his good friend with whom he speaks on phone quite often, adding that during his travels across the country, he takes pictures of projects President Mahama did in his first term and sends them to him just to encourage him to do more when given the opportunity like he has now.
He therefore expressed the confidence that President Mahama will do much better in his second term.
Pastor John Mahama
President John Mahama thanked Bishop Dag for the prayers and pledged to live up to the expectations of Ghanaians as per the mandate given him in the 2024 elections, saying that under his leadership, “Ghana will rise again” and be reset on the path to prosperity as he promised in his 2024 presidential campaign.
He used a greater part of his speech to preach a message of forgiveness and sacrifice in the spirit of Easter, saying that Ghanaians must understand that whereas some easily have three square meals a day, others don’t even have the means to get one meal a day, so in the spirit of Easter, “let us all do well and make sacrifices for others just like Jesus sacrificed his life on the cross for us.”
By the time he was done, he had quoted at least five Bible verses to buttress his point about forgiveness and sacrifice, which made the congregation often applaud and cheer in approval, making Bishop Dag refer to the President as “Pastor John Mahama.”
President Mahama confirmed that indeed, Bishop Dag often calls him and shares valuable ideas on how to be a better leader with him, adding that he is also proud of Bishop Dag for being one of the very few men of God who is able to fill the entire Independence Square for an event.
