The National Cathedral project would cost the taxpayer $1billion overall, according to Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the member of parliament for North Tongu, and not $400 million as the government and board of trustees have claimed.

Mr. Ablakwa, who has previously questioned the National Cathedral's relevance, claimed on Face to Face on Citi TV on Tuesday that the $400 million that the government is citing as the project's entire cost utterly ignores a number of other elements that will cause the cost to exceed $1 billion.

“We were told by the Finance Minister that the project would cost $100 million, but then the figure rose to $150 million. The Chairman, Opoku Onyinah, later mentioned $200 million, but now, based on fresh documents, I have realized the project is going to cost the Ghanaian taxpayer about $1 billion.”

“The same amount former President Mahama used to set up the Ghana Gas Project, which is earning us about $400 million a year,” Mr. Ablakwa told Umaru Sanda Amadu.

The North Tongu MP pointed out that the estimated $400 million does not account for the expense of moving the Judges' bungalows, the $50 million required for moving the Judicial Training Institute, or the $10 million required for moving the passport office.

He continued by mentioning that the Waterstone Complex, whose offices were destroyed to make room for the cathedral, is currently suing the government for $120 million as well as the millions of dollars required to relocate the Comsys headquarters and the Malian Ambassador's residence.

According to Mr. Ablakwa, the sum of all these costs, including planned adjustments like the Biblical garden and the museum, will increase the overall cost from $400 million to more than $1 billion.

The National Cathedral project has been engulfed in several controversies and has also faced stiff opposition, with a section of the public being of the view that the project is not relevant considering Ghana’s economic woes.