Mahama Questions National Cathedral Project Amid Education Challenges: “Is It Justified?”

• Former President John Mahama has criticised the lack of priorities embodied in the National Cathedral Project amid challenges in the education sector
• $58 million of public funds are said to have been spent on the project, which hasn’t seen any significant progress
• National Democratic Congress MPs held a mock commissioning for the National Cathedral on March 6, 2024

The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama, has criticised the $450 million budget of the National Cathedral project while challenges in the education sector remain unaddressed.

Given the circumstances, Mahama said the religious project would not even have God's approval.

In his recent remarks on the project, he said the government should only fund the project with private resources since it was a personal pledge by President Akufo-Addo.

Mahama stressed that the public funds spent on the project could have been directed towards pressing education needs.

Read also

EC says it will no longer eliminate guarantor system in upcoming December polls

For example, Mahama said schools lacked textbooks for the new education curriculum.

"So far, $58 million of public funds have been spent just to dig a deep hole, and you have to ask yourself, is it justified in this day and age when children don't have desks in schools, when children do not have textbooks?", he added

Mahama made these remarks during a gathering with religious leaders in Wa as part of his campaign.

Earlier this week, NDC MPs held a mock commissioning for the National Cathedral on March 6, 2024

The site for the project has been dubbed the world’s most expensive hole because of the $58.1 million spent on it under controversial circumstances.

The government had initially intended to commission the project on March 6, 2024, according to the 2021 budget statement.

Read also

NDC MPs mock Akufo-Addo with commissioning of National Cathedral project site: “World’s most expensive hole”

Despite being barred from entering the construction site, the minority MPs agreed with security personnel to stand at the entrance, where they addressed the press.

Committee to probe project

YEN.com.gh reported that Parliament okayed the forming of a committee to probe the controversial National Cathedral Construction Project

The probe followed a motion filed by the North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and six other NDC MPs.

The Second Deputy Speaker expressed concern that too much money had been spent on the project with little results.

Source: YEN.com.gh