National Cathedral contract sum negotiated to US$400 million – Bright Simons alleges
National Cathedral is a misplaced priority, Ghanaians
Deputy Finance Minister, John Kumah, has explained that sacrifices made to God must cost the one who makes those sacrifices.
According to him, one cannot please God with a sacrifice that does not cost him.
He noted that the National Cathedral cannot be built with free things, emphasizing that it must be costly such as to attract the blessings of God.
He cited King David in the Bible while contributing to a discussion on JoyNews’ Newsfile.
"There was a time that David needed to atone and make a sacrifice to God in order to pacify from the calamities to be taken away from Israel and one Jebusite called Aruna said he has a threshing floor which he will give for free and so King David should take that and use for the sacrifice to God. And David categorically said in 2 Samuel 24:24 that he will never take a free gift and sacrifice to God and any sacrifice he is making to God must cost him so that God can see the essence of the sacrifice.”
He continued, “I’m saying this to bring into perspective the cost that people are saying it is costing us. The foundation of all sacrifices that men make to God, if you genuinely want to do something for God, don’t be thinking about free things because free things don’t attract many of his blessings. But this is not to say the concerns they are raising are out of place.”
Ghanaians have lamented the relevance of a National Cathedral, especially during the current economic hardships.
According to them, these monies could have been channelled to other sectors of the economy.
But John Kumah has noted that even though the construction of the National Cathedral is a personal pledge by the President to God, it has become a national pledge.
He noted that the president can not use his personal funds to complete the project.
According to Vice President of IMANI Africa, Bright Simons, the renegotiated figures have been necessitated as a result of the lack of sync between the construction company, Rizzani de Eccher, and the architects, Adjaye and Associates.
The latest figure of the project cost represents a 300% increase from the initial figure of US$100 million that was communicated by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta in November 2019.
“A few months ago, the Govt of Ghana quietly renegotiated contract sums on the National Cathedral to a whopping $400 MILLION after significant confusion & rancour over earlier design work btwn (between) builders G. Eccher & architects, Adjaye Associates,” Simons wrote in a June 24 tweet.
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John Kumah, Deputy Minister of Finance