Dr. Lawrence Tetteh at the funeral
Founder of UK-based World Miracle Outreach, Dr Lawrence Tetteh, has caught a lot of attention over his comments that he financially contributed towards the funeral of the late Ebony Reigns, which was held during the weekend.
The renowned preacher told hundreds of mourners who were gathered at the forecourt of the State House, where the funeral was held on Saturday, that he paid for the casket of the late musician because of the love he had for the late Ebony Reigns.
Dr Lawrence Tetteh, who was delivering a sermon at the funeral, also said he took care of Ebony’s mortuary bills and the hearse that conveyed the ‘Maame Hw?’ crooner’s remains.
“I bought the casket there; I paid for it,” he said, as he pointed to the black casket, a revelation that attracted applause from mourners.
“I paid for the keeping of the body at the mortuary. I paid for it, I paid for the hearse. All that I told the parents is that choose the casket you want and I paid for it,” he added.
The preacher, who met the dancehall artiste days before she passed away, revealed that he did all that not only because of the love he had for the late Ebony but also saw the funeral as a crusade to preach Christ to people, especially entertainers who haven’t accepted Jesus Christ yet.
He was, therefore, not enthused by comments of some people claiming to be sponsors for the funeral of the late musician and insisted he spent more money on the funeral than anyone.
“It’s not that I didn’t know what to do with the money, but I see this programme as an opportunity to let you know that we love you, Jesus loves you. Tell somebody Jesus loves you…If you don’t love God you will die. I see this programme as a crusade to speak to you about Christ,” he disclosed.
Dr Tetteh also described as very sad and disappointing how some entertainment personalities were taking advantage of the late Ebony Reign’s demise to score popularity points.
His comments, however, attracted a lot of concerns from the public over the weekend.
While some jumped to his defence, others were of the opinion that the comments were not necessary. Others took to social media to circulate a purported list of funeral donors and the amounts they donated.
Among them were President Nana Addo, who allegedly donated GH¢ 50,000; Ex-President John Mahama, GH¢10,000; Zylofon Media, GH¢50,000; Kasapreko, GH¢90,000 and others.
Ebony, born Priscilla Opoku-Kwarteng, was killed in a gory accident on the Sunyani-Kumasi highway. She was returning to Accra after paying a visit to her mother on February 8.
Her childhood friend and assistant, Franky Kuri, and their bodyguard, Lance Corporal Francis Atsu Vondee, also died in the crash. She was laid to rest at the Osu cemetery in Accra.
The funeral was attended by a lot of Ghanaians from different parts of the country. The burial service was broadcast live on the various TV and radio channels.