Duncan-Williams, Eastwood Anaba quit National Cathedral job …over unaudited public funds

Two of the most respected leaders within the Christian fraternity in Ghana, Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams and Reverend Eastwood Anaba both resigned their positions as members of the Board of Trustees overseeing the construction of the National Cathedral.

The two, in a jointly signed resignation letter dated Thursday October 12, 2023 and addressed to President Nana Akufo-Addo said “as a matter of conscience and faith”, they were resigning over the refusal of the Board to appoint an independent accounting firm to audit all public funds contributed to The National Cathedral.

Archbishop Duncan-Williams, Founder and Leader of the United Denominations of Action Chapel Churches Worldwide and Rev. Eastwood Anaba, President of the Eastwood Anaba Ministries stated in the letter that since January this year, some ten months ago, they have made the request to have an independent accounting firm audit all funds received but that request has been declined.

They said attempts to have an audience with President Akufo-Addo over the matter have also not been successful.

In August last year, the highly-respected Bishop Dag Heward-Mills, founder of the United Denominations originating from the Lighthouse Group of Churches, who was until then a member of the Board of Trustees, also resigned after he alleged that unseen hands belonging to unnamed  persons had taken major financial decisions regarding the funding of the construction of the Cathedral and made it seem as though those critical financial decisions involving figures in the range of millions of Dollars were taken by the Board of Trustees.

Below is the October 12, 2023 letter co-signed by Duncan-Williams and Eastwood Anaba:

His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

Golden Jubilee House

Accra. Ghana

Your Excellency.

We extend our profound salutations to you in the Name of Jesus Christ! As much as we have met many times over the past two years on issues of national significance. you may recall our requests for an appointment with you to specifically discuss the National Cathedral of Ghana – a vision of yours that we share and cherish. We truly understand that the demands of the nation and indeed the world that have been placed upon your shoulders may have prevented the realisation of this meeting.

Further to the National Cathedral, in January 2023 as Trustees of the Board of Trustees we submitted a draft Resolution to the said Board resolving that current activities, advancing the construction of Ghana’s National Cathedral be deferred until the findings of an audit. This deferment included a cessation of activities of the Board of Trustees. Specifically, our Resolution stated, “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 accounting firm to audit all public funds contributed to The National Cathedral. This appointment of an auditor shall take place before the deferment of the activities of the Board of Trustees.”

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. Since January 2023, we awaited news to no avail, regarding the finding of the audit. We, therefore, regret that as a matter of conscience and faith, we hereby submit to you our resignation from the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral. We honourably assure you, as we assured the Board of Trustees in January 2023 with the submission of our Resolution that our action in no way impugns the vision or intent of The National Cathedral, but rather ensures that it is advanced and built on a foundation of integrity, efficiency and quality while gamering and maintaining public trust and support. We truly owe this to God and to country.

We remain confident that one day your vision of a National Cathedral of Ghana that provides a “sacred space and infrastructure” for formal religious and other activities in the nation, such as state funerals, presidential inaugural services, and global gatherings that advance faith, peace, reconciliation, stability and a better world, while supporting tourism as a promising pillar of Ghana’s economy, will be realised in our lifetime. We believe that you will always stand as the visionary and the architect of this vision and trust that “a dream deferred is not a dream denied.”

Your Excellency, please accept the assurances of our prayers and best wishes to you and The Board of Trustees of Ghana’s National Cathedral for strength and success

We thank you for the opportunity to serve our nation.

Yours sincerely,

Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-William,

Founder and General Overseer. United Denominations of Action Chapel Churches

Worldwide.

Reverend Eastwood Anaba

President, Eastwood Anaba Ministries