National Cathedral scandal: Let the law speak, not excuses

Ghana deserves the full truth. The National Cathedral, envisioned as a sacred monument, risks becoming a symbol of hypocrisy and waste. With tens of millions reportedly sunk into a pit and audits exposing unsupported payments and weak controls, the moment demands moral courage, institutional integrity, and decisive justice.

Proverb: “The one who fetches water with a basket must explain how the water was carried.”

Biblical counsel: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36)

Key highlights

• Presidential pledge: President John Dramani Mahama has vowed that anyone found to have embezzled state funds in the Cathedral project will face prosecution.
• Forensic scrutiny: A full forensic audit has been ordered, with calls for open publication and citizen access to key contract files, payments, and board minutes.
• Staggering expenditure: Reports indicate that well over $90 million has been spent with little tangible progress, igniting national outrage and demands for accountability.
• Governance failures: Red flags include unsupported payments, poor documentation, and gaps in contract and procurement oversight.
• Public pressure: Chiefs, civic groups, and faith leaders have urged transparent action and a reset from symbolic mega-projects toward essential social investments.

Context and implications for Ghana

• Public finance integrity: The scandal exposes vulnerabilities in project governance, from board oversight to procurement controls—undermining confidence in public institutions.
• Development trade-offs: Every cedi wasted is a classroom not built, a clinic unfunded, sanitation delayed, and youth opportunity denied.
• Moral leadership: When spiritual projects are tainted by mismanagement, it erodes the moral authority that should bind citizens to shared purpose.
• Political credibility: Anti-corruption promises will be judged by outcomes—transparent audits, prosecutions, recoveries, and reforms, not press statements.

International quotation: Kofi Annan — “If corruption is a disease, transparency is a central part of its treatment.”

Risks and challenges

• Institutional weakness: Poor documentation and opaque contracts can hamper investigations and prosecutions.
• Conflict of interest: Board members and contractors tied to decision-making may resist disclosure or cooperate selectively.
• Religious sensitivity: The Cathedral carries emotional weight; accountability must be firm yet respectful to avoid polarizing faith communities.
• Political interference: Without insulated processes, investigations risk delays, selective justice, or quiet settlements.
• Public fatigue: Long timelines and legal technicalities can dull citizen engagement unless communication stays clear and consistent.

Proverb: “When the drumbeat changes, the dancers must adjust their steps.”

Biblical counsel: “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” (Amos 5:24)

Who must answer

• Board chairman and members: Oversight is duty, not ceremony. What controls were enforced? What irregularities were flagged—and when?
• Executive leadership and signatories: Who authorized unsupported payments and approved contract variations without value-for-money assurance?
• The Reverend with double identity: “No man can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). Identity clarity and role transparency are non-negotiable in stewardship of public trust.
• Contractors and consultants: Deliverables vs. payments must be reconciled publicly. Where is the work to match the money?

Accountability path forward

• Publish the audit: Release the full forensic audit and management letters, plus board minutes, procurement records, and payment registers.
• Insulated prosecution: Mandate a special, independent prosecutorial team to handle Cathedral-related cases, protected from political pressure.
• Asset recovery: Pursue civil recovery and criminal restitution where misappropriation is proven; freeze assets where necessary.
• Board restructuring: Dissolve and reconstitute the board with credible, independent voices from civil society, academia, professional bodies, and broad-faith representation.
• Clerical vetting: Require identity verification and public integrity declarations for all clergy in governance roles.
• Real-time transparency: Launch a public portal with contracts, milestones, payments, and site progress; adopt open contracting standards.
• Parliamentary oversight: Set up a bipartisan committee with timelines, open sittings, and mandatory publication of findings.
• Citizen watchdogs: Empower coalitions to monitor, report, and litigate for compliance; provide whistleblower protections with secure reporting channels.

International quotation: Nelson Mandela — “It is in your hands to make a better world for all who live in it.”

Why citizens must care

• Development first: Cathedrals of concrete mean nothing if schools, clinics, water systems, and jobs are starved.
• Rule of law: When elite impunity goes unchecked, everyday injustice becomes normalized.
• National character: A nation’s soul is measured by how it guards the public purse and protects the weak from the powerful.

Proverb: “The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people.”

Biblical counsel: “You will know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:16)

Recommendations and call to action

1. Demand publication: Citizens, media, and faith leaders should insist on full audit release and contract transparency.

2. Track timelines: Require clear investigation and prosecution milestones; no open-ended processes.

3. Support whistleblowers: Champion legal protection and celebrate courage—truth-tellers are guardians of the nation.

4. Prioritize essentials: Redirect public funds toward education, health, water, sanitation, and livelihoods until governance is restored.

5. Vote for accountability: Reward leaders who deliver open data, prosecutions, and recoveries. Reject those who offer excuses.

6. Keep the pressure: Use radio, WhatsApp, town halls, and church forums to keep facts alive and officials accountable.

This scandal is bigger than money—it is a test of Ghana’s conscience. If implicated leaders and clergy walk free, the Cathedral will stand not as a sanctuary of faith, but as a monument to hypocrisy. Let the drumbeat change; let the dancers adjust. Let truth walk through the front door of our institutions, and let justice speak—clearly, firmly, and without fear or favor.

Ghanaians must rise in one voice: Let the law take its course—not the usual excuses, delays, and cover-ups.

Retired Senior Citizen
Teshie-Nungua
[email protected]