The National Cathedral Secretariat says Dr. Mensa Otabil did not resign from the board of the National Cathedral but excused himself at the point of the registering directors in 2019.
A statement from the Secretariat reacting to issues in the media about the project said the founder of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC) excused himself from the board but still offers his advice and support to the board.
“The Board of Trustees had to be registered as the Directors of the company. A member of the Trustees, Dr. Mensa Otabil, the General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church, had indicated that he couldn’t give the needed attention to the project so didn’t register.
“So, Dr Mensa Otabil did not resign from the Board as being alleged but excused himself at the point of registration of the Directors in July 2019. For the avoidance of all doubt, Dr Otabil has not been a member of the Board or Trustees since July 2019. Dr. Mensa Otabil, nonetheless, remains actively interested in the project and continues to share his views on strategy with the Secretariat. The continuous use of his name and pictures on the websites and publications was an administrative lapse by the Secretariat”.
The Secretariat also justified the government’s spending on the project so far.
The release of the Seed money, as the Finance Minister indicated in his Talking Point discussion on June 13, 2022, is thus a practical response to the commitment made by the state to the National Cathedral project, which the Minister for Finance informed Parliament, and the nation, in his Budget presentation in November 2018. 7)
Given the need for the public to understand this partnership, in particular the role of the state, all publications from the Secretariat, including the National Cathedral Update, sent individually to members of Parliament, including this structure and the role of the state. “Seed Money” for the National Cathedral, as part of the role of the state in the project, should therefore be public knowledge. 8)
“Following a procurement process approved by the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), and with the input of the Attorney-General, a contract was developed and signed between the office of the President and Sir David Adjaye and Associates in August 2019 for full Architectural and Engineering Services for the project”.
