Onua TV/FM presenter, Blessed Godsbrain Smart, known in the media as Captain Smart has emphatically stated that he would have jailed Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah if he had the means.
The host of the Onua Group morning show, Maakye, believes the former Chairman of the Church of Pentecost has presided over greed as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the National Cathedral.
Speaking on Onua FM’s drive time show, ‘Efie ne Fie’ with ‘The 3 Wisemen’ Tuesday, January 24, 2023, Captain Smart said Apostle Opoku Onyinah is collapsing the church which he (Smart) is a member, asking leadership of the church to dissociate themselves before the church is dragged into the mess being caused by the former Chairman.
READ ALSO: Heward-Mills resigns from National Cathedral Board?
“If I had any power to become President in 2024, I would have jailed Opoku Onyinah. I would have jailed him. He should stop that. He is collapsing the [Church of] Pentecost,” he stated emphatically in Twi.
Captain Smart added that a call by Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams and Rev. Eastwood Anaba to suspend the project and audit its account is an announcement of their resignation from the Board of Trustees.
A January 23, 2023, memo presented to the Board by the two clergymen is seeking a suspension of the construction and independent audit into the expenditures of the project.
The noble men of God want the auditor(s) to be person(s) nationally recognised.
“That in the spirit and cause of transparency and accountability to the Ghanaian people, the current Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral shall appoint an independent, nationally recognised accounting firm to audit all public funds contributed to and spent by the National Cathedral.
READ ALSO: Nat’l Cathedral was parochially conceived for Akufo-Addo’s parochial interest – Prof. Agyemang Duah
“Auditors will also audit the overall cost of the project. This appointment of an auditor shall take place before the deferment of activities of the Board of Trustees,” excerpts of the memo indicate.
Rev. Anaba and Archbishop Duncan-Williams want the project to resume upon an improvement in the economy.
“That current activities advancing the construction of Ghana’s National Cathedral shall be deferred until the atmospherics in Ghana are improved and the audit of the Cathedral account is done,” the memo contained.
The National Cathedral project has undergone several controversies regarding its funding and accountability since President Akufo-Addo initiated it.
Even though the President said the project was going to be funded by private donations, government has committed almost GH₵400m to the project. Nonetheless, the construction is still at the foundation stage whilst the Board has announced that they are short of money, thereby halting the project.
Many have also raised concerns of expending on a cathedral at a time when Ghana is facing serious economic challenges.
In the midst of the controversies, founder of the Lighthouse Chapel International, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills, resigned from the Board in August 2022.
The reasons for his exit, even though was not stated, but has come to light some months on.
This followed the earlier resignation of Pastor Mensah Otabil, Founder of the International Central Gospel Church, who was also on the board.
A letter Bishop Heward-Mills issued for his resignation said “I feel that the treatment of the issues I have raised in my several letters has been unfortunate. My letters have been ignored in the past; not attended to for years, and at best addressed flippantly.”
“You may recall I have spoken passionately and written extensively about the costs, the design, the location, the fundraising, the mobilization of the churches, and the role of the trustees.
“These, if heeded, would have made our project more achievable. Generally speaking, my inputs, my opinions, and my letters have been trivialized and set aside,” parts of the letter further stated.
By Felix Anim-Appau|Onuaonline.com
