President Akufo-Addo has likened critics of the controversial National Cathedral building to Sanballat and Tobias in the book of Nehemiah in the bible who vehemently opposed the building of the Jerusalem wall.
According to him, he remains resolute in the face of incessant criticisms, with many people saying that the project is a misplaced priority.
He said this, among other things on Sunday, December 18, 2022, at the centenary celebration of the Ga Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, held at the Black Star Square, Accra.
“Just like Sanballat and Tobias, in the days of Nehemiah, there are some who do not share my views on the building of the National Cathedral, I respect their right to differ but I am confident (of) my decision, by the vast numbers of enthusiastic supporters of this project whose spiritual dimension is limitless,” Akufo-Addo said.
Although Ghana is in a severe and scary economic crisis and now seeking help from the International Monetary Fund, while suspending the payment of its external debts and carrying out a debt exchange programme with the local investors, Akufo-Addo and his government are bent on proceeding with the building of the cathedral.
He stressed that it “will serve not only as the country’s collective thanksgiving to the Almighty for the blessings He has bestowed on our nation, sparing us the ravages of civil war that have bedevilled the histories of virtually all our neighbours and the outbreak of deadly mass epidemics. But also as a rallying point for the entire Christian community of Ghana, which represents 70-plus per cent of the population.”
Meanwhile, the National Cathedral building has suffered a major setback as the NDC minority in parliament managed to block the approval of GHC80 million allocated for the construction in the 2023 budget on Tuesday, December 20.
