National Cathedral: Akufo-Addo's harmful promise to God

Breaking a vow has serious repercussions and there are serious consequences associated with breaking it.

In both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, making a vow is a serious business and it is better not to vow anything than to vow and not fulfill it.

Deuteronomy 23:21-23 says that “If you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin."

At a sod cutting ceremony of the National Cathedral, President Nana Akufo-Addo said he made a personal pledge to God that if He grants him and his party, the NPP victory in the 2016 elections after two unsuccessful attempts, he will build a cathedral to His glory and honour.

Later, Nana made a personal donation of 8,000 USD towards the construction costs, saying that nothing will stop him from fulfilling his pledge to God.

Bungalows occupied by senior judges were demolished along with a training school belonging to the judiciary, Ghana's passport issuing head office, a scholarship secretariat, a diplomatic residence, a luxury apartment and a host of private businesses covering 9 acres of prime area in Accra.

Conversely, the supposed private project of the President estimated to cost 400 million USD purportedly started receiving funding from government.

And contrary to Ghana’s procurement laws for projects using taxpayers’ money, it was alleged that no bidding process was conducted for the cathedral’s design contract which was awarded to respected Ghanaian-British architect, David Adjaye for a reported sum of 22 million USD.

Critics, especially the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) saw the project as a misplaced priority particularly at a time when the country was pursuing an IMF loan due to huge debt and economic woes.

Some people argued that putting rebuilding of demolished buildings and compensations into consideration, the total cost of building the Cathedral could rise to 1 billion USD.

The controversies surrounding the project caused two members of the board of trustees, Pastor Mensah Otabil and Bishop Dag Heward-Mills to resign.

There were more troubles. In their resignation letter dated October 12, 2023, Archbishop Duncan-Williams and Rev. Eastwood Anaba, both members of the board of trustees said, "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."

The sad part of the story is that in spite of the huge sums of money invested in the cathedral building, what is there to show is a gaping hole.

Galatians 6:7 which says, God cannot be mocked and that a man reaps what he sows seems to be working.

Has the seed of deception been sowed and blossomed with confusion and destruction within the NPP?

A panelist of a political talkshow not too long ago made an interesting observation that when opposition beckons a political party, it begins to play with God, and that Nana Akufo-Addo and his NPP began with the slogan: the battle is the Lord's, but seem to be ending with their own strength, forgetting that the arm of flesh will fail.

Naa Agyeman in his Sugar Cane song says that if you "hundred" him he will "thousand" your chest.

God is being "hundred" and those doing that must know that their chests would be "thousand".