Freeze Akufo-Addo's ex-gratia and use it to cover National Cathedral pit - Professor Gyampo suggests

Professor Ransford Gyampo, a political science lecturer at the University of Ghana, has suggested a very unconventional means of raising money to reclaim the portion of land used as the foundation for the National Cathedral.

Contributing to a panel discussion on TV3, Professor Gyampo argued that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo must suffer some personal losses for his role in the construction of the National Cathedral.

To reclaim the land, Professor Gyampo believes the state must freeze the ex-gratia of President Akufo-Addo and use the revenue to undertake the reclamation.

While Gyampo doubts the legality of his own suggestion, he maintains President Akufo-Addo should be held liable for the amount of money spent so far on the National Cathedral and that he and his ministers who played roles in the issuance of state funds for the National Cathedral project must be sued for causing financial loss to the state.

“Somebody must be sued for the construction of the National Cathedral. Somebody must be sued for causing financial loss to the state. President Akufo-Addo must suffer some consequences, so if possible for us to freeze his gratuity to be used in paying for the covering of the Cathedral, let's do it. If that is not enough, then we sue him and his appointees,” he said.

The National Cathedral, which President Akufo-Addo described as a ‘priority among priorities,’ has stalled due to a lack of funds.

According to Reverend Victor Kusi Boateng, the Executive Secretary of the Board of Trustees for the National Cathedral, the country needs a whopping $250 million to complete the Cathedral.

“If we could raise an amount of $200 million to $250 million, the National Cathedral will be completed. Let’s look at the advantages the Cathedral will bring to Ghana and its financial benefits as a nation. God has blessed us, we need to come together and thank Him.”

“Washington Museum in construction cost $600 million, but after the completion of the Cathedral, Ghana shall have a Bible museum of Africa that will in terms of space, content, and technology be higher than the American Museum that cost them $600 million.

“All costs together, our Cathedral, Biblical Museum, and Biblical Gardens is just around $300 million, and ours is bigger than the American Bible Museum that costs $600 million. If you look in-depth into the data, you realize that although $300 million is money, compared to the $600 million, we’ve done well.”

EK