After the North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and his colleagues in the NDC on March 6 symbolically commissioned the National Cathedral to mock the government, a Presidential Staffer has reacted with more shades.
Ablakwa led his colleague MPs and officials of the NDC to commission the stalled project which the government promised in 2021 that would be ready by March 6, 2024. He then sarcastically told the media that the NDC is grateful to Ghanaians for their “support and solidarity”.
“I am glad, however, that at the precincts of the World’s Most Expensive US$58million Pit, on the day President Akufo-Addo promised God, Parliament, and the Ghanaian people that he will commission his US$450million priority of priorities National Cathedral project, we perfectly executed our accountability mission for God and Country.
He, however, said the NDC and Ghanaians want “An explanation from President Akufo-Addo on why he failed to fulfil his promise to God, to Parliament and to the sovereign Ghanaian people; the promise to commission his US$450million (GHS5.7billion) ‘priority of priorities’ cathedral today the 6th of March 2024.”
Also, Ablakwa demanded “Full accountability on what happened to our US$58,141,509.52”. Again, he said an explanation is required as to why “all we see here is the world’s most expensive pit and why the contractors, RIBADE JV abandoned the project for lack of payment 2 years ago.
“A comprehensive report on how much it has cost the state to so far replace and compensate some owners of demolished properties, and how much is still outstanding considering that aggrieved demolished property owners such as Waterstone Realty have resorted to the courts.
“We note that the following properties were recklessly demolished on the orders of President Akufo-Addo: Bungalows for Judges, Judicial Training Institute, Passport Head Office, Scholarship Secretariat, Bungalows for CHRAJ, Waterstone Realty Luxury Apartment Complex, Headquarters of Comsys IT Firm and the Malian Ambassador’s Residence.”
In a sharp response to Ablakwa and the NDC, Miracles Aboagye, a Presidential Staffer reminded the NDC of what they did years before while in government. He listed the sins of the NDC ranging from abandoned Kuffour projects to the loudly publicized Community Day Schools. Even the infamous Hope City project has not been spared though it was a private project.
These are the people who inherited 8 Euroget Hospitals from President Kuffour, spent 8 years in government and still couldn’t complete, leaving it for @NAkufoAddo and the NPP to come complete. These are the guys who used the money meant for hospital constructions for their election research.
These are the guys who decided to spend State funds to build Day schools mostly in the forest, 10s of kilometers from the community and left them uncompleted, not fit for purpose and unusable. These are the guys who captured 3D artistic impressions in a green book and attempted to hoodwink everyone as projects done. These guys launched a Hope City project, captured international Media, BBC, CNN et al and didn’t lay a single block. These guys want to come to power to form a government. Their elders are snoring, deeply asleep. Complete jokes…” he concluded.
The National Cathedral, a project which the government said would boost Ghana’s tourism has since the President cut sod for the project in 2020. Several important properties including the residence of High Court judges were pulled down to pave way for the project. However, 3 years since the former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta told Parliament that the National Cathedral would be commissioned on March 6, 2024, the project has remained a mere pit.
Dubbed the ‘most expensive galamsey pit’ in the country, the National Cathedral project has been stalled for years. The contractor left the site and has yet to return. The NDC and several Ghanaians resisted the idea even before the President would break ground for work to begin. While it is certain that the President won’t be able to complete the National Cathedral project before he exits office in 2025, we cannot tell when work will resume and whether the next government will continue it or let it remain Ghana’s most expensive pit.
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