Dr Arthur Kobina Kennedy, a political activist, has stated that the National Cathedral is a textbook case of causing financial loss to the state.
According to Arthur Kennedy, the whole National Cathedral project is a crime scene.
Arthur Kennedy revealed that nothing has shaken his confidence in the common sense of Ghana’s leadership more than the National Cathedral.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, July 19, Arthur Kennedy stated, “Nothing has shaken my confidence in the common sense of Ghana’s leadership more than the National Cathedral”.
“From the president who conceived it to the cabinet, who saw nothing wrong with it, to the parliament that gave it money, to the religious leaders who signed off on it and lent their good name to it it is unconscionable for a country that cannot get clean water, for a government that couldn’t even complete the Krofrom market, for a country who have kids who go to school under trees.”
He added, “If there ever was a cause of financial loss to the state, this is it. It is a textbook case,” he said. “$100 million of a poor country like Ghana’s money into this project, it broke my heart because the government ought not to be in the business of building cathedrals.”
“We had a politicised Supreme Court that was signing off on things that the government was doing. We had people in parliament who wouldn’t stand up and ensure that the right things are done.”
Arthur Kennedy further asserted that the government of Ghana should not be building cathedrals or mosques or even funding people to Mecca.
“Our government shouldn’t be building cathedrals or mosques. It shouldn’t be paying for people going to Mecca. We know these things, these are fundamentals”, he added.
He further accused the National Cathedral board of trying to hide the audit report.
Arthur Kennedy added, “The Deloitte and Touche report said for two years, the board of directors have made materially significant statements in which the facts did not reconcile and there were no supporting documents,” he noted. “That is why the thing stopped there.”
“You know that the National Cathedral board itself didn’t want to release the audit report. They were just waving it at us and saying, ‘See, there was no wrongdoing found,’”
“The whole National Cathedral is a crime scene, from conception to the end”, he added.
However, the National Cathedral Board has expressed their disappointment with President John Dramani Mahama’s decision to dissolve the Cathedral Board.
According to the National Cathedral Board, they have been holding talks with the Minister for Local Government and Religious Affairs regarding the National Cathedral project.
The National Cathedral Board is quoted by JOY NEWS to have stated, “We are disappointed by the President’s decision to dissolve our Board, despite ongoing talks with the Minister for Local Government and Religious Affairs”.
In addition, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, has told Ghanaians to imagine what Ghana could have done with the US$97million revealed to be the cost of the National Cathedral hole.
Reacting to the Deloitte audit findings, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa on X wrote, “ Deloitte confirms all the parliamentary oversight I conducted on the National Cathedral.
It has always been for God and Country.
Imagine what Ghana could have done with US$97million”.
Ablakwa further reminded Ghanaians that the properties demolished for the National Cathedral are demanding compensation.
He wrote, “Don’t forget that in addition to the US$97million, the owners of multiple demolished properties are agitating for compensation”.
He boldly added that ORAL must succeed, and there ought to be justice for the people of Ghana.
