President Akufo-Addo has defended the need to complete the construction of the National Cathedral.
He claims that the controversial project will be an expression of gratitude to God, who he says has protected the country from conflicts and diseases over the years.
According to him, the project whose 2023 budgetary allocation approval has been suspended will be geared toward thanking God for “sparing us the ravages of civil war that have bedevilled the histories of virtually all our neighbours and the outbreak of deadly mass epidemics but also as a rallying point for the entire Christian community of Ghana, which represents seventy-plus per cent of the population.”
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On December 18, he spoke at the Black Star Square in Accra at the centenary anniversary of the Ga Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana.
In his address to the congregation, President Akufo-Addo appealed for Ghanaians’ cooperation in making the country a better place for all.
“I need the support of every Ghanaian, together with the prayers of the church, to help me and my government carry out our mandate successfully,” he added on Sunday.
Rev. Prof. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, was among the clergy present.
The Trades and Industry Committee of Parliament halted the approval of $80 million for the construction of the National Cathedral on December 13.
The allocation to the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) was rejected by the Committee because members wanted more answers from the sector Minister.
According to Tamale Central MP Murtala Mohammed, who revealed this to JoyNews, the Committee would accept the Ministry’s estimates without the funds allotted to the National Cathedral until they are satisfied.
“What the Committee decided was that we cannot just approve this GH₵80 million, we must know how the other ¢339 million was spent. What did it constitute?
“The ¢80 million you want us to approve, how did it find space in the budget line of the Ministry of Tourism when the Minister and the directors could not speak to the questions we were asking? What constitutes the ¢80 million, they should give us a breakdown,” he disclosed in an interview with JoyNews.
Following the economic crisis, many people are wondering why the National Cathedral is still a big-ticket item in the government’s expenditure plans.
Already, ¢339 million have been spent on the project, which President Akufo-Addo describes as his personal pledge to God.
But, the Okyehene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin II has pleaded support for the building of the National Cathedral so as not to bring shame to President Akufo-Addo.
SOURCE: myjoyonline
