General News of Saturday, 4 June 2022
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2022-06-04National Cathedral: Timing of GH¢25 million release worrying - Franklin Cudjoe
Akufo-Addo and IMANI Africa president Franklin Cudjoe
Government struggling to pay NABCo trainees, NSS personnel
Ablakwa uncovers government payment in lieu of National Cathedral project
North Tongu MP slams Akufo-Addo's lack of priority
President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has lamented the timing of government's release of GH¢25 million 'additional seed money' towards the National Cathedral project.
According to him, the very government that was asking Ghanaians to tighten our belts
Read full article.was clearly being wasteful with the said expenditure amid an economic downturn.
In an interview with Citi News, he also lamented the opaque nature of the said transactions. “The timing of this contribution is quite worrying. To think that we have all the challenges we have right now and to dish out GH¢25 million?
"The fact that we do not have clear details as to which companies are benefitting and whether they procured the services correctly and all of that, is quite worrying,” he stressed.
“Just tells you that the person crying that we should tighten our belts is, unfortunately, being wasteful. I do not know where we are going to get our monies from. It will short-change some other expenditure plans that we already must have approved.”
In a June 2, 2022 social media post, Cudjoe sarcastically stated that it appeared the Cathedral was going to wash away Ghana's spiritual and monetary debts.
"This Cathedral will wash away our debts - monetary and spiritual debts. The only problem is that we the people didn't ask for it. Our President alone dreamt about it on our behalf."
His comment was on the back of a disclosure by Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, on Thursday, June 2, 2022; that some releases had been made in lieu of the project.
Ablakwa published a letter alleging that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo through his Finance Minister had authorized the release of GH¢25 million for the construction of the National Cathedral.
According to him, the release projected insensitivity on the part of a government that had failed to honour monthly payment of stipends to a category of workers amid the current economic challenges the country is facing.
Attached to his post was a document dated March 31, 2022, signed by the Minister for Finance Ken Ofori-Atta with the title “Seed Money for the construction of the National Cathedral.
“Authority is hereby granted you to release the sum of 25,000,000.00 (Twenty-Five Million Ghana Cedis) as additional seed money to the National Cathedral Secretariat for the construction of the National Cathedral for part payment of outstanding claims from RIBADE Limited,” portions of the document Ablakwa shared read.
Ablakwa has also posed seven questions to the government on the lack of due process and procedural lapses in terms of Parliamentary approval and procurement breaches in respect of the payment.
Menahwile, deputy Finance Minister, John Kumah has confirmed the release stating that government was ready to account for the expenditure as and when required by Parliament.
