Former Deputy Minister for the Ashanti region under the Mahama administration, Joseph Yammin has condemned the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo administration for neglecting the plights of the citizens and channeling resources into building a national cathedral.
The former minister said it was shameful that the government was building the cathedral on the foundation of lies.
The government has come under attack by some Ghanaians and civil society organizations following revelations that nearly GH¢ 200 million of taxpayers’ money has so far been spent on the National Cathedral project.
Yammin believes the Akufo-Addo government has relegated the welfare of NABCo employees, teachers,s and nursing trainees whose allowances are in arrears to the background to redeem a personal pledge made to God in the run to the 2016 elections.
“This government has no priority. Its focus is to create, loot and share. They are only thinking on which scandal to benefit from next,” he said. “NSS allowances are in arrears, School feeding program is collapsing.
NABCO trainees aren’t paid yet the government is thinking of a national cathedral.”
“The government doesn’t see the need to settle all these issues but no, Nana Akufo-Addo is focusing on the national cathedral,” he lamented.”
He said the project does not make economic sense at ” a time the government is struggling get 1 million to pay salaries of workers.”
He added, “DCEs this same government has employed have worked for a year but haven’t been paid and yet the government wants to build a cathedral.”
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has said a small portion of the national purse is to fund the project.
“Government has spent about GH¢ 30 billion in terms of our expenditure, I think this year, we’ve spent at least GH¢25 million on the National Cathedral, which is one-thousandth [of the budget],” Ofori-Atta said on GTV.
As a Finance Minister, Mr. Ofori-Atta said the Akufo-Addo government is not focused on just the economic benefits of the project but is committed to building “a righteous state in which the Lord promises.”
Posted by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh
