Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has explained why they decided to do what they termed commissioning of the National Cathedral.
According to him, the ‘commissioning’ of the cathedral is a service they owe the nation as members of Parliament.
He said in interview with Johnnie Hughes and Helen Appiah-Ampofo on 3FM Sunrise Morning Show on March 7.
Mr Ablakwa highlighted several issues surrounding the project, emphasizing what he described as “blatant falsehoods” upon which the initiative was initially premised.
He stated, “We were told that this will be a private effort, the president’s personal pledge to God, only for us to start intercepting documents which revealed that, on our blind side, in flagrant violation of the constitution, monies were being withdrawn without parliamentary approval.”
He further raised legal breaches, pointing out that the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) had no knowledge of the project and that no procurement approval had been sought or contracts awarded according to their records.
Mr Ablakwa emphasized the magnitude of the project’s cost, stating, “…the project was discontinued by the contractors leaving site for lack of payment, even though a whopping 58.1 million dollars had been sunk into what has become now famously referred to as the world’s most expensive pit.”
He drew attention to the extensive compensation claims associated with the project, including the demolition of various properties such as the Scholarship Secretariat, judges’ bungalows, and the passport head office.
He estimated that with these compensation claims, the cost of the project could escalate “, If you put all of these compensations claims and remember, some of them are in court. This project will be in the region of a billion dollars,” he said.
Mr Ablakwa’s remarks come amid growing public scrutiny over the National Cathedral project, which has been mired in controversy since its inception. The Minority’s decision to ‘commission’ the project site reflects their commitment to holding the government accountable for what they perceive as mismanagement and lack of transparency.
Ablakwa emphasized the significance of their visit to the project site, particularly on the day the President assured its commissioning.
“So we went there yesterday because this has been the most scandal-ridden building project and remember that yesterday is significant because that is the day the President assured God, Parliament and Ghanaians that he will be commissioning the project, which he described as his priority of priority”, he added.
By Joselyn Kafui Nyadzi. (Intern at 3FM, Media General.)