Accra, June 9, GNA- Mr Collins Adomako-Mensah, Member of Parliament (MP) for Afigya Kwabre North Constituency, has called on the Ministry of Finance to clarify the budget and how much government has spent so far on the national cathedral project.
A clarification, he said would put to rest the speculations and propaganda on the amount used for the project so far.
“What I am not excited about is the revelation coming out as to the amount of money that has been pumped into the construction. My advice to government and the Finance Ministry is to come out as quickly as possible to explain the circumstances leading to the release of these monies,” he said.
Speaking on an Accra-based television station, he expressed worry over the serialisation of information on the amount used for the project, which he said was creating disaffection for government.
Mr Adomako-Mensah who is also a member of the Finance Committee of Parliament, said the Committee was not privy to government’s allocation of seed capital for the national cathedral project.
Mr Murtala Muhammed, MP for Tamale Central, said providing clarification and going through the constitutionally laid down procedure to finance the cathedral was crucial, “especially when the cost of the cathedral keeps changing.”
He said that “democracy should not be taken for granted” and for that matter, due process must be followed adding that, “the constitution and the law states that, for you to expend public money, you must have the approval of the entire people.”
“Having agreed to go the way of democracy, you have no excuse than to succumb to democratic processes and in this case, the constitution of the Republic of Ghana…,” he said.
The National Cathedral is expected to provide sacred space and infrastructure for the formal religious activities of the nation like state funerals and presidential inaugural services.
On Sunday, September 5th, 2021, the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral launched a fund-raising activity to mobilise resources for the project scheduled for completion by March 2024.
GNA