Outspoken Ghanaian has waded into the construction of the controversial National Cathedral brouhaha, asking why a personal pledge by the President should be the burden of all Ghanaians after winning power.
Dr Solomon Owusu, a US-based Ghanaian mining consultant, is asking why President Akufo-Addo is using state funds to honour a personal pledge despite the current economic hardship of the country.
He has also questioned if the National Cathedral is a state monument as leaked documents suggest it is a private entity.
Speaking on Accra-based Radio Gold on Tuesday morning, he insisted there is no need for the President to waste Ghana’s little resources on National Cathedral when God is comfortably living in Heaven.
Dr Solomon Owusu stressed that it is illegal to use state funds for such a project without the President consulting Parliament or capturing it in a budget statement subjected to debate and approval.
“If the President think he cannot single-handedly construct the Cathedral as promised earlier, then he must resort to Parliament to seek approval before using state funds. Have you seen the Finance minister capturing funds for the National Cathedral in the budgets presented to Parliament before?” he rhetorically asked the Host.
“I have all the budgets presented to Parliament since 2017 and there is no place that talks about allocation to the National Cathedral. So why must the President go ahead and use state funds? This means the President is riding over the powers of the Legislature” Dr Owusu added.
He expressed worry Ghana is seeking a $24.9m from India for the Agric mechanisation plant while a whooping amount of $22 million has been paid to Sir David Adjaye and Associates Limited for the design of the facility.
“We live in a country with many challenges such as; high rate of unemployment, poor roads, health problems, educational challenges and low standard of living yet still the President thought it wise to use the little money we have anyhow. Do our leaders really think of us the citizens” Dr Solomon Owusu stressed?
Meanwhile, Dr Solomon Owusu hinted “The Vatican to receive a grievance on Rt. Rev Palmer Buckle’s involvement in the illegalities surrounding the National Cathedral if he continues to be a board member”.
The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has alleged that Government has already spent over GHC200 million on the National Cathedral.
Source: Mybrytnewsroom.com/Kwabena Nyarko Abronoma
