Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a North Tongu NDC member of parliament, said that the nation will have to fork out much more money to complete the National Cathedral.
Speaking on Citi TV in Accra, the opposition member said his projections take into account the removal of structures on the property where the Cathedral is located as well as the payment of compensation.
“The Finance Minister told us the project would cost $100 million, but later it increased to $150 million. The project would cost the Ghanaian taxpayers roughly $1 billion, as opposed to the $200 million that the Chairman, Opoku Onyinah, had earlier estimated.
Ablakwa stated to Umaru Sanda Amadu, “The same sum previous president Mahama spent to put up the Ghana Gas project, which is yielding us roughly $400 million a year.”
The North Tongu MP pointed out that the anticipated $400 million does not account for the expense of relocating the Judges’ bungalows, the Judicial Training Institute, which will cost $50 million to transfer, and the Passport Office, which would cost $10 million to relocate.
He continued by mentioning that the Waterstone Complex, whose offices were destroyed to make room for the cathedral, is currently suing the government for $120 million as well as the millions of dollars required to relocate the Comsys headquarters and the Malian Ambassador’s house.
According to Ablakwa, the sum of all these costs, including project adjustments like the Biblical garden and the museum, will increase the overall cost from $400 million to more than $1 billion.
Okudzeto Ablakwa has also accused the Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Reverend Kusi Boateng, of having many identities and earning almost 2.6 million Cedis for no work.
