Failure to build National Cathedral will be a disgrace to Ghana, Akufo-Addo - Okyenhene

Paramount Chief of the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area, Okyenhene Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin II has stated that Ghana and President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will be disgraced if the National Cathedral is not built.

The facility sighted at a prime location in Accra has attracted public commentary in the wake of the use of state funds in its construction despite being a "personal promise" of the president to God for his electoral successes.

The Okyenhene who is also related to the president has thus rallied Ghanaians to contribute to the successful completion of the project.

Addressing the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral Project in Kyebi last Friday (December 9), Ofori Panin said the benefits of having the project will be immense.

“He [Akufo-Addo] has to glorify the name of the Lord for how far He has brought him and build the cathedral to testify that he is grateful to God for making him President, there is no sweeter news as this."

He continued: “with the cathedral, there’ll be no need to travel to Israel, just in Accra, the cathedral will answer all your questions about Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth and everything.

“So I’m pleading with you all, let us not bring shame upon our country and the President, let us contribute to build the cathedral,” he added.

The Board of Trustees had paid a visit to the Okyeman Council of State to solicit their support for the project which has stalled since early this year for lack of funds.

The cathedral and Akufo-Addo's luxury jet travels have become topical in recent months with the minority in Parliament pushing for disclosures on how much the state is spending on both.

Whiles efforts to get official records of the cost of the presidential jet travels have serially failed even through Parliament, the issue of the National Cathedral recently got concrete answers especially from Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta.

He disclosed while appearing before an ad hoc committee of Parliament that monies paid in lieu of the project were drawn from the Contingency Fund.

For the first time, government also included an expenditure item relating to the project in the 2023 budget with an amount of GHC80 million cedis earmarked for disbursement.

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