The National Cathedral could be worth $1bn not $400m – Ablakwa
North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has claimed that the National Cathedral project will cost taxpayers a total of $1 billion and not $400 million as claimed by the government and members of the board of trustees.
Mr. Ablakwa who has on several occasions raised the issue with the relevance of the National Cathedral said Faces on Citi TV there is that $400 million that is bandied around by the government as the total cost of the finished project ignoring some other factors that take the total cost over $1 billion.
“We were told by the Minister of Finance that the project would cost $100 million, then the figure increased to $150 million. The Chairman, Opoku Onyinah then mentioned $200 million but now based on new documents, I know that the project will cost the Ghanaian taxpayers about $1 billion.
“The same amount that former president Mahama used to set up the Ghana Gas project which generates about $400 million annually,” Mr. Ablakwa told Umaru Sanda Amadu.
The North Tongu MP noted that approximately $400 million does not include the cost of relocating the Judges’ bungalow, $50 million needed to relocate the Judicial Training Institute and $10 million to move the passport office.
He added that the Waterstone Complex whose office was demolished to make way for the cathedral is also in court demanding $120 million from the government as well as the millions of dollars needed to relocate the Comsys office and the Mali Ambassador’s residence.
Mr. Ablakwa stated that the total cost of all these amounts including the modification of projects such as the Bible park and the museum will take the total cost from $400 million to more than $1 billion.
The National Cathedral project has been subject to several controversies and has also faced stiff opposition from sections of the public who consider the project irrelevant due to Ghana’s economic problems.
He also said that the project has been stalled for the past ten months due to funding challenges.
New developments
But President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has on many occasions stated that he will build the cathedral regardless of opposition from the people.
The Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral on Tuesday decided to subject the project to a “normal statutory audit”.
This follows what the Board said new nagging problems that enveloped the construction process.
Has engaged the services of an audit firm, Deloitte for audit work to begin.
“The Board has been in negotiations to join Deloitte, which was accepted as an auditor when the National Cathedral was registered, to start a normal statutory audit”, the Board through its Chairman, Rasul Prof. Opoku Onyinah said in a statement.
Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Pdt. Kusi Boateng has also been arrested by Okudzeto Ablakwa for having multiple identities and receiving some 2.6 million cedis for no work.
Two members of the Board of Trustees – Founder and Leader of the International Action Chapel, Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams and Rev. Eastwood Anaba, the President of Eastwood Anaba Ministries called for the immediate suspension of the construction of the National Cathedral pending an audit of the project.
National Cathedral post may be worth $1bn not $400m – Ablakwa appeared first on Citinewsroom – Comprehensive News in Ghana.
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