‘When will Akufo-Addo and his Cathedral trustees show Adjaye the red card?' - Ablakwa takes on Adjaye over sex scandal

The Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has called for the dismissal of David Adjaye, the architect of the National Cathedral of Ghana citing a recent sexual scandal.

According to him, president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the Board of Trustees of the cathedral project should fire the embattled architect who has resigned from his role at the U.K Holocaust Memorial and Learning Center, in London over the said allegation.

“With the New York Times reporting that Adjaye has resigned from London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s Panel of 42 Design Advocates & having been asked by the British Govt to stay away from its Holocaust Memorial Project; when will Akufo-Addo & his Cathedral Trustees show Adjaye the red card?" he said in a twitter post on July 5, 2023.

David Adjaye, Ghanaian-British architect who designed The Ghana National Cathedral, has stepped down from the U.K Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in London after the UK government became aware of a sexual harassment scandal against him.

According to a report filed by nytimes.com, a spokesman for the British ministry that is overseeing the U.K. Holocaust Memorial and Learning Center, in London, said in an email that the government was aware of the said allegations and had spoken with David Adjaye’s architecture firm.

The report added that the spokesperson further confirmed that Sir David Adjaye will not be involved in the U.K. Holocaust Memorial Foundation project until the issues raised against him have been addressed and as a result, he has tendered his resignation in an official letter to the mayor of London and his role at the foundation has been suspended.

David Adjaye who is the architectural adviser to the mayor of London had been accused by three of his former employees of sexual harassment, assault, and toxic work culture in an investigation published by The Financial Times Newspaper.

The New York Times report furthered that in a statement from David Adjaye on Tuesday, July 4, 2023, denied the said allegations.

“I absolutely reject any claims of sexual misconduct, abuse or criminal wrongdoing,” nytimes.com quoted him to have said.

The report added that the said release was signed by Kendal Advisory, a communications and crisis management firm, and explained that “These allegations are untrue, distressing for me and my family, and run counter to everything I stand for.”

The statement added “Ashamed to say that I entered into relationships which though entirely consensual, blurred the boundaries between my professional and personal lives. Deeply sorry for that and will be immediately seeking professional help in order to learn from these mistakes to ensure that they never happen again.”

Adjaye has achieved global acclaim for his design of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, located on the iconic National Mall in Washington, D.C, The Ghana National Cathedral, A museum in Nigeria to showcase African Art, and a Multi-faith center in Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates.

With the New York Times reporting that Adjaye has resigned from London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s Panel of 42 Design Advocates & having been asked by the British Govt to stay away from its Holocaust Memorial Project; when will Akufo-Addo & his Cathedral Trustees show Adjaye the red card? pic.twitter.com/bIkcv9zlij

— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) July 5, 2023

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AM/SARA