Ofori-Atta lied, parliament has not approved spending on the National Cathedral – Clement Apaak

The Member of Parliament for Builsa South, Dr. Clement Apaak, has taken a swipe at Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.

He has accused him of peddling lies when he claimed to have gone to Parliament to seek approval for the issuance of funding for the construction of the national cathedral.

The minister, appearing on GTV on Sunday, said that just a little portion of the government’s annual budget has been spent on the National Cathedral.

He described the project as a righteous one that is key to national transformation and spirituality.

“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].”

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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.”

The amount he noted was approved by parliament and was not also the Ghc200 million as alleged by the Minority.

But Dr. Apaak says the Minister lied in stating that he got approval from the House before releasing the money.

He said, “Ken Ofori-Atta lied on GTV when he claimed that he brought the issue of the funding of national cathedral to Parliament. He never did. He ought to know the difference between a Budget Speech and a Budget Statement and Economic Policy. It is a documented fact that at no time has the government forwarded the cathedral project in any national budget to Parliament with an assigned financial allocation for approval.

“The first budget Statement and Economic Policy under Akufo-Addo to capture the cathedral project was the 2019 budget, and here is what it said on page 193, paragraph 1001; “meeting the spiritual needs of our people with the promotion of the Ghana National Cathedral”. It’s worth noting that 2017, 2018, and 2022 budget statements never mentioned the cathedral project at all. In the budgets for 2019, 2020, and 2021 although mention was made of the cathedral, no funds were allocated to it.

He added, “Any indication of the state providing seed money may rather be traced to the Finance Minister’s speech, which he read in brief to Parliament during the presentation of the 2019 Budget Statement and Economic Policy. In the 2019 budget speech, paragraphs 156-157, on pages 104-105 under National Cathedral, the Minister stated as follows:

“Mr. Speaker, the state is facilitating this process by providing the land, the Secretariat, and seed money for the preparatory phase. Mr. Speaker, the President is determined that the building of the National Cathedral would not put undue financial burdens on the state. He has therefore proposed a partnership between the State and the Ghanaian Christian community both at home and in the Diaspora.

“Even so, no particular figure was mentioned as seed money. But even if a figure was mentioned in the Minister’s speech, Parliament, as it is known, does not debate, consider and approve what the Minister narrates. Parliament debates considers and approves the content of a Budget Statement and Economic Policy presented on behalf of the President. Parliament does not engage in speculations.”