The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, promised God before winning the 2016 elections that the National Cathedral would be built.
The Cathedral, as a national landmark, would have chapels and a baptistery, as well as a 5,000-seat main auditorium that could be expanded to 20,000 for national events and festivities.
Government buildings on 14 acres of prime Accra real estate were demolished to make space for the cathedral’s construction.
The structures comprised housing for justices of the Court of Appeal. The judicial system was also funding the development of additional of these facilities, which had to be halted in order for bulldozers to demolish the structure so that the land could be utilized to construct a ‘home for God.’
This government decision did not sit well with some of the facility’s residents, and as a result, Justice Saeed Kweku Gyan, a Court of Appeal judge, had to quit in protest.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the North Tongu MP, revealed this.
According to a post on his Facebook page, the departure has been a huge loss for Ghana’s legal system.
This is because, at its 2012/2013 Annual General Conference, the Ghana Bar Association bestowed a rare honor to Justice Saeed Kweku Gyan, honoring him for his “uprightness and desire to oppose corruption in the exercise of his duties.”
According to Okudzeto Ablakwa, “Other countries would have done everything they could to safeguard and promote a gem like Justice Saeed Kweku Gyan, but he was driven out of Ghana and his unblemished career on the bench was literally ‘demolished.’
“Let us not forget the countless careers, dreams, and multitudes of employment that have been equally devastated when we reflect on the many physical demolishments that have been carried out to fulfill the President’s personal vow.”
“Was this the best option, even though we should be building a cathedral?
The National Cathedral project has dominated press headlines in recent weeks due to suspicions that the government donated seed money for the project, despite earlier assurances that it would be funded entirely by the Church.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a North Tongu MP, claims that the Akufo-Addo administration has already allocated about GH190 million for the construction of the National Cathedral.
His remark came in response to a recent revelation that the government had set aside GH25 million for the project.
Mr. Ablakwa stated in a tweet on his social media account that the government had previously released about GH142 million, bringing the total money for the project to GH199,832,603.00.
He also revealed that Dr. Mensa Otabil, the creator of ICGC and a major member of the Board of Trustees, has resigned due to the project’s multiple breaches.
Below is the complete post by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.