Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for North Tongu, has stated that Pastor Mensa Otabil, the General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church, has resigned as a member of the National Cathedral's Board of Trustees.
He stated that Otabil was no longer a member of the committee entrusted with constructing the Cathedral, citing "illegality occurring" as the cause for his departure.
He remarked "The Board of Trustees is in a state of unsettling quiet. And I can reveal that one incoming priest, the esteemed Dr. Mensa Otabil, has left the Board."
In an interview with Joy News, the NDC MP revealed that "He hasn't been to any of their meetings this year. It is unclear what his goal was, but he has indicated that everything is not well."
Work on the National Cathedral has come to a standstill months after the project's contractors, RIBADE Company LTD, allegedly fired over 200 of its employees due to a shortage of cash.
he location for the building, a 14.5-acre plot of land near to Ghana's Parliament House, has been halted after the government spent over GH200 million on the project.
A letter dated March 14, 2022, written by the project manager, Grant Ramsay, and making the rounds on social media, requested that all employees relinquish all property in their possession to the Human Resources office.
It maintained that it was only following elements of the contract that required them to reduce expenses because they were not getting cash for the project.
In response to the news, Ablakwa stated, "When you go through the list of Board of Trustees, this person [Dr. Paul Opoku Mensah] who has been mentioned here as the Executive Director of Secretariat, a private Secretariat, has also been identified as a Presidential worker, and his role there is Overseer of the National Cathedral."
"Why should the Ghanaian taxpayer pay someone who works for a private board of trustees?" he wondered.
