Ahiagbah reaffirms government's commitment to National Cathedral amid criticism

He has stressed that the project is not misguided and is progressing as planned.

Ahiagbah made this statement following the symbolic commissioning of the incomplete National Cathedral project by some Minority Members of Parliament, including North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.

The MPs' act was intended to highlight what they perceived to be the government's failure to complete the project.

Initially, security personnel prevented the opposition MPs from accessing the construction site of the controversial National Cathedral and making a statement there.

Despite being denied entry to the construction site, the Minority MPs negotiated with security personnel to stand at the entrance, where they planned to hold a press conference to express their dissatisfaction with the ongoing project and its associated costs.

Speaking on Citi FM, Mr Ahiagbah stated, “I think that the cathedral project is a work in progress. I think that for any project of that magnitude to begin you dig a foundation and you build it out. And so, where it is at, it is at the appropriate stage where in time the structure would be put on it. So, for me, I don’t see any real challenge. I don’t see any appearance of waste because necessarily you must dig the pit and build on it. So, if people want to capitalize that we are building a pit, we haven’t built it out, what I tell them is that it is just a matter of time and the structure would come out.”

“What I am very resolute and clear in my mind about is the commitment to build this and I believe that that commitment and desire to build a national cathedral for the country I think is a noble one, and what we have to do is to continue in this effort and I believe that good people will come and support this project for it to see the light of day…

“This cathedral thing, I think people make it seem to appear as if it is a misplaced project. It is not… What I think is our solution is that let’s get more revenue and more resources and build all of these things that we are looking for. And let’s not in the process underestimate the importance of one thing over the other,” He added.

The cathedral was initially scheduled for commissioning on March 6, 2024, as stated by former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta in the 2021 budget statement.

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