Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has revealed that the two top clergymen, Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams and Rev. Eastwood Anaba, who recently resigned from the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral, served on the board for free.
Speaking in an interview on Starr FM on November 16, 2023, Mr Ablakwa emphasized that both pastors joined the board with sincere intentions and without any ulterior motives.
He stated that he personally spoke to the pastors, and Rev. Eastwood Anaba admitted that they should have heeded his earlier warnings against the controversial National Cathedral project.
“Yes, I have spoken to all of them. Rev. Eastwood Anaba is my pastor, so we talk always, and I can’t lie about this. He said, ‘Young man, we should have listened to you earlier. You saw things that we saw later’,” he said.
He added, “And to be fair to them, to be honest to them, they went into this with a very pure heart, I know and I can confirm to you today that these two Rev. Eastwood Anaba and Archbishop Duncan-Williams never took an allowance. So, sometimes when I see people say that they should also refund the money and that, they are not been fair to them I have the records.”
The two pastors, Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams and Rev. Eastwood Anaba, resigned from their positions as members of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral.
In a joint statement addressed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the clergymen cited growing concerns about transparency and accountability within the National Cathedral project as the reason for their resignation.
“Despite our prayers, best hopes and wishes, unfortunately, a needed audit to help restore public confidence and trust in this consequential project has not been enacted to the best of our knowledge. Since January 2023, we have awaited news, to no avail, regarding the findings of the audit. We, therefore, regret that as a matter of conscience and faith, we hereby submit to you our resignation from the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral,” the statement said.
The pastors emphasized that their decision to resign should not be interpreted as a challenge to the vision or intent of the National Cathedral project.
“We honourably assure you, as we assured the Board of Trustees in January 2023, with the submission of our resignation, that our action in no way impugns the vision or intent of the National Cathedral, but rather ensures that it is advanced and built on a foundation of integrity, efficiency and quality while gaming and maintaining public trust and support, We truly owe this to God and to country,” the statement added.