National Chief Imam Sheikh Osumanu Nuhu Sharubutu yesterday contributed GH¢50,000 towards the construction of National Cathedral for state.
Sheikh Sharubutu made the donation when the board of trustees for the Cathedral project paid a courtesy call on him at his office in Accra.
Making the donation, the National Chief Imam said some Christians have over the years, supported Muslim communities with development projects and it was time for the Islamic community to also contribute to this worthy course.
According to him, the gesture was to further deepen the peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims in the country.
Later in an interview with Citi FM, the spokesperson of the national Chief Imam, Sheikh Aremeyaw Shuaib, said the donation is to demonstrate the mutual cooperation that exists between Ghanaians of all religious faith.
“As Ghanaians, we are all practitioners of a different faith, and we are able to sit around the same table and have an opportunity to discuss things and whatever comes by way of disagreement to really work and maintain our harmony, and we should not do anything to disturb our relationship. In fact, he said we should not use politics to disturb our relationship, and that we should keep politics aside and rather, as practitioners of different faiths, let’s all get united and see what we can do in the interest of our country.
“He also said we should be mindful of that fact that God has given us peace at the time when nations around us have been plunged into conflict, and he said it is in the spirit of solidarity and mutual cooperation that he donated the GH¢50,000 as a token contribution towards the construction of the National Cathedral”, Sheikh Shuaib added.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral, Apostle Professor Kwadwo Nimfour Opoku Onyinah, who received the donation, called on Ghanaians to emulate the gesture.
“We are extremely grateful to the Chief Imam for the contribution and also to those who haven’t understood the concept to exercise patience and follow the advice of the National Chief Imam that we should not begin to accuse one another and that religion should bring us together and should not divide us”, Apostle Onyinah said.
Akufo-Addo’s vision
The National Cathedral is President Nana Akufo-Addo’s promise to God after he was elected President in the 2016 election.
He envisioned the Cathedral to serve as a national non-denominational Christian worship centre for the country.
Accordingly, President Akufo-Addo cut the sod for the construction of the cathedral on March 6, 2017, as part of events that marked Ghana’s 60th-anniversary celebration.
The government has provided 14-acres of public land for the project, while the Christian community and individuals are to fund the construction.
Voluntary contribution
Minister for Finance Ken Ofori-Atta recently urged in Parliament, that Ghanaians should make a voluntary donation of GH¢100 towards the project, which is expected to be constructed at a cost of $200 million.
Bawumia’s contribution
Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has said he has already contributed towards the construction of the cathedral and he will contribute more as the project progresses.
Speaking at the Adabraka Official Town branch of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana last Sunday, Dr Bawumia underscored the importance of the Cathedral, and urged all to help build it “for Ghana and for the glory of God.”
“As you all know, there are efforts to build a National Cathedral.
“It is very important that we build the Cathedral. It is a voluntary exercise; anybody who wants to contribute can contribute. I have contributed, and I will contribute some more.
“So, I encourage everybody to think about it, and let’s build it. It is not for anybody. It is for Ghana and for the glory of God”, he emphasised.
Vice President Bawumia said the voluntary contribution towards the construction of the cathedral by all Ghanaians will further cement Ghana’s standing as a religiously-diverse country living at peace with itself.
“Ghana is Africa’s second most peaceful country, with adherents of many religions living and working together to build the nation.
“The construction of the cathedral would add further to our enviable record of peaceful co-existence,” he stated.
