The General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, Dr. Cyril Fayose, says if possible, government should take some money from the heritage fund to sponsor the construction of the national cathedral.
According to him, at the time when the idea of the national cathedral was being sold to the Christian Council and the Christian community, he was convinced the project was of national importance and could prove profitable for the country.
“In fact I had attended a meeting of the national cathedral where matters were explained to us about the importance of the cathedral for the development of the nation and also for tourism purposes and so on.
“Thus I was convinced that if we cannot raise the money as member churches or churches to build the cathedral why not take some monies from like petroleum funds for instance, the heritage funds as we did with some other projects in the country, build it as an investment and recoup the interest back into the fund.
“I thought something like that was possible until I heard that actually the government was putting some funding into it,” he said on JoyNews’ PM Express.
He noted that even though building a national cathedral was not a bad gesture, it would be beneficial to all involved that government becomes more transparent concerning how its funding the project in order to avoid any falling out.
“So it’s not bad if the government supports the government supports the project, but they must let the public know; it shouldn’t be done under the carpet,” he said.
His comments come after North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa accused government of siphoning public funds to facilitate a project it propagated as a personal and private pledge.
So far, the North Tongu MP has put out documents showing that an amount to the tune of GHC200 million has been dished out for the construction of the project.
These monies, he said, were dished out without recourse to parliamentary processes or strict public procurement practices.
On Sunday, Okudzeto Ablakwa alleged that Founder of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), Dr Mensa Otabil, has stopped attending meetings of the National Cathedral Board of Trustees.
Speaking on JoyNews’ The Probe, on Sunday, Mr. Ablakwa asserted that the desertion by the theologian is due to the illegality being perpetrated by the Akufo-Addo government with respect to the project.
“There is quite an uneasy calm among the Board of Trustees. And I can confirm to you that one imminent priest has walked away from the Board; the revered Dr Mensa Otabil is no longer with them.
“The whole year, he has not attended any of their meetings. It is not clear what his intention was, but he has given indication that all is not well,” he told host Emefa Apawu on Sunday, June 12.
Source: Myjoyonline