The National Cathedral project continues to be the subject of ongoing controversies.
This is because additional accusations are being leveled at the project’s managers.
Bishop Dag Heward-Mills, the founder and head of the Lighthouse Group of Churches, has most recently added to these issues.
The esteemed minister claimed that despite being a trustee and present at all meetings up until his departure, he was not involved in or given access to talks on the project’s financial and technical concerns.
The seasoned Bible teacher expressed concern about a number of things, including the fact that important choices were not made by the Board of Trustees.
The seasoned Bible scholar stated that all of his thoughts and contributions were “trivialized and set aside” in his retirement letter, which was issued in August 2022 and obtained by Citi FM.
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Despite his support for the Cathedral’s construction, he said that these factors drove him to resign from the board.
“I have been a reachable and available trustee and attended every single meeting of trustees since the pandemic began, in person and by zoom, and the records will show that.
If I say that I, as a trustee, do not know many of the financial and technical issues concerning the Cathedral, it means the discussions about the National Cathedral were held by some people outside the trustees’ meeting or perhaps in a forum that I was not present or invited to.”
“On the one hand, the National Cathedral is said to be a Government of Ghana project, with the government taking financial decisions. Yet, on another hand, at meetings, it is implied that the trustees have taken or participated in taking some decisions.”
Since the project was commissioned, the National Cathedral Project has been one of the contentious public concerns.
The Minority in Parliament has frequently questioned accountability, but there have also been worries about the project’s relevancy in light of the nation’s current economic crisis.
The Secretary of the National Cathedral Board of Trustees, Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng, who is also the founder of Power Chapel Worldwide, has been accused of conflict of interest, having several identities, and other dubious dealings.
Meanwhile, Dr. Paul Opoku Mensah, executive director of the National Cathedral of Ghana, has denied the accusations.
He clarified that the aforementioned sum, which was paid on September 8, 2021, was an unnamed board member’s loan.
He emphasized that the funds were sought from the state in August 2021 to be used for paying the contractors, but that they were not received until later because of procedures at the Controller and Accountant General’s Department.
In order to avoid paying interest, the board member proposed to loan the funds through his business, JNS Talent Centre Limited.
He asserts that there was no illicit payment as Okudzeto Ablakwa has claimed, and he has sent proof to Parliament to back up his claims.
He suggested that before making allegations, the North Tongu MP and other project detractors should request clarification from the National Cathedral Secretariat.
Source: Myjoyonline
