Dormaahene, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu I, has called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to put the construction of the National Cathedral of Ghana on hold.
Dormaahene, who is the President of the Bono Regional House of Chief, said that the Cathedral project cannot be a priority of the government, given the difficulties Ghanaians are facing.
Osagyefo Agyemang Badu I, while addressing the media, added that the project can continue once the country is out of the woods and Akufo-Addo should not be the one who has to necessarily complete it.
“One of the things Ghanaians are asking me to talk to the president about is the National Cathedral. He (Akufo-Addo) swore to God to build a National Cathedral when he becomes president which is a good thing.
“However, given the economic difficulties Ghanaians are facing around this time, the people have asked me to tell you (Akufo-Addo) to put the project on hold. It is your initiative, no one can take it away from you but don’t use the national coffers to build a cathedral.
“.. tell him to focus on economic recovery so that in good time even if he is not able to complete it, any of these brothers (successors) could do so. That is what Ghanaians want me to tell you,” he said in Twi.
Meanwhile, Parliament’s Trades and Industry Committee has suspended the approval process for an amount of GH¢80 million allocated for the construction of the National Cathedral.
Tamale Central Member of Parliament, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, who disclosed the development to Accra-based JoyNews on December 13, said the suspension will be in place till justification for the allocation is made.
“What the Committee decided was that we cannot just approve this GH¢80 million, we must know how the other GH¢339 million was spent. What did it constitute?
“The GH¢80 million you want us to approve, how did it find space in the budget line of the Ministry of Tourism when the Minister and the directors could not speak to the questions we were asking? What constitutes the GH¢80 million, they should give us a breakdown,” he stressed.
Watch the Dormaahene’s remarks in the video below:
National Cathedral Project: Bono Regional House of Chiefs President calls for project to be put on hold.#JoyNews pic.twitter.com/VDRHbSyaYT
— With All Due Respect (@cdzas) December 21, 2022i