Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu and a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has praised Reverend Eastwood Anaba and Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams for leaving the National Cathedral Board of Trustees.
Ablakwa claimed that by leaving the scandal-riddled cathedral, the two highly regarded men of God had brought glory to themselves.
The opposition lawmaker said the resignation is welcome and that it has vindicated him regarding the problems with the cathedral in an interview with Citi FM in Accra.
“I want to commend highly the two revered clergymen. Some may say it is delayed, but I will say better later than never because they have covered themselves in glory with this resignation, and it is a clear confirmation of the things I have been talking about.”
“Look at how they say they have been frustrated within the board about getting the board to carry out an independent audit. If these folks have nothing to hide, why did they really prevent efforts by these respected clergymen to have an independent audit? We will have time in the coming days, for an independent parliamentary inquiry on this matter. Our motion has gone through, the Speaker approved it and the House has voted on it, and we are just waiting for the NPP side to send their membership, and we will have a full-blown inquiry and delve into the matters.”
In a joint statement, Archbishop Duncan-Williams and Reverend Anaba stated that the government’s failure to appoint an impartial accounting firm to audit all public funds contributed to the National Cathedral was the reason for the resignation.
In January 2023, the two eminent clergymen demanded that work on the National Cathedral be stopped right away while the project was audited.
The two distinguished clergymen called for the project’s suspension until Ghana’s economic situation improves in a letter to the Board of Trustees. They also noted that the project’s timely completion is impossible given the country’s current economic situation.
