The Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh Dompreh has told his colleague lawmaker Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa that his media engagement at the project site of the National Cathedral could have been done in a civil manner.
He accused Mr Ablakwa of visiting the site in a strange manner.
Minority MPs commissioned the National Cathedral after government failed to honour its promise to do so on 6th March.#3NewsGH pic.twitter.com/MHG0JKZrNx
— #3NewsGH (@3NewsGH) March 6, 2024
“It could have been done in a more civil manner; an excessive partisan approach in our oversight duties as an arm of government is ‘scandalous’ and dirty & to say the least, playing to the ‘vulnerable’ public.. You can’t visit any construction site in such ‘strange’ manner..,” the Nsawam Adoagyiri legislator wrote on his X platform.
Mr Ablakwa, amidst bac and forth with the security officer manning the site, carried out a media engagement at the project site in Accra on Monday, March 6 regarding the project.
He said after the media engagement “I am glad, however, that at the precincts of the World’s Most Expensive US$58million Pit, on the day President Akufo-Addo promised God, Parliament, and the Ghanaian people that he will commission his US$450million priority of priorities National Cathedral project, we perfectly executed our accountability mission for God and Country.
“We are grateful to all patriotic Ghanaians for the overwhelming support and solidarity,” he said in a statement.
He demanded “An explanation from President Akufo-Addo on why he failed to fulfill his promise to God, to Parliament and to the sovereign Ghanaian people — the promise to commission his US$450million (GHS5.7billion) “priority of priorities” cathedral today the 6th of March 2024;
Full accountability on what happened to our US$58,141,509.52 (GHS740million) why all we see here is the world’s most expensive pit and why the contractors, RIBADE JV abandoned the project for lack of payment 2 years ago;
“A comprehensive report on how much it has cost the state to so far replace and compensate some owners of demolished properties, and how much is still outstanding considering that aggrieved demolished property owners such as Waterstone Realty have resorted to the courts. We note that the following properties were recklessly demolished on the orders of President Akufo-Addo: Bungalows for Judges, Judicial Training Institute, Passport Head Office, Scholarship Secretariat, Bungalows for CHRAJ, Waterstone Realty Luxury Apartment Complex, Headquarters of Comsys IT Firm and the Malian Ambassador’s Residence;
“Contract must be immediately terminated to avoid further financial loss to the state. According to the contract, Ghana will have to pay Extension of Time Claims, Standing Time Claims, Abortive & Re-Works Cost due to Main Contractor Suspension;
“Board of Trustees must be dissolved without delay; National Cathedral Secretariat should be immediately closed. So far this secretariat has received GHS225,962,500. (Refer to organogram as attached); Retrievals from the following persons: David Adjaye — US$19.6million (GHS250million), Cary Summers — US$6million (GHS76million) Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng/Kwabena Adu Gyamfi — GHS2.6million.”