Former Director of Communications for the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akomea, has defended the government’s decision to go on with the National Cathedral project, despite the opposition by many Ghanaians due to the current economic hardships.
According to him, having a national cathedral is very important to Ghana because over 70 per cent of the population are Christians, and it is not just for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to fulfil his promise to God, as some are asserting.
Speaking in a Good Morning Ghana on Metro Tv, Nana Akomea said that claims that this was not a good time for the cathedral project do not hold water because advanced countries have national cathedrals despite people living on their streets.
“Every promise by a politician is a personal pledge; every plan isn’t it … the building of a cathedral is very important to me, it is a pledge to me… who makes a personal promise to build a national edifice? … if you make a personal pledge then what you are going to build is not going to be for the nation.
“The building of a cathedral is very important to us; 70 per cent of our population are Christians. I am very happy that our Muslim friends have got a Mosque befitting the status of their religion…. built with the support of the Turkish government… Christians also will appreciate the building of a national cathedral where when there are important national events; those events can be hosted in a proper edifice.
“When you go to many countries in the world, they have this facility. When you go to America, there are still people who are sleeping on the streets… there are still people sleeping in the streets of London; they have national cathedrals for national occasions,” he said.
Nana Akomea, the current Chief Executive Officer of the State Transport Corporation, said that there is nothing wrong with the current location of the National Cathedral.
“We politicians are allocating some of these prime lands (in Accra) to ourselves; if we are allocating some of it to God, what is the problem with that. God has been very good to this country; look at what is happening in our neighbouring countries,” he added.
Akomea made these remarks after allegations by some Ghanaians, including the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, that the government has so far used GH¢ 57 million of taxpayers’ money for the construction of the project even though it said it would be using only voluntary contribution for it.
Many Ghanaians are also questioning the timing of the project due to the current economic challenges the country is facing with payment to government workers and service providers, including Nation Builders’ Corps (NABCo) trainees, school feeding caterers and National Service Personnel being in arrears for several months.
