National cathedral: the chief imam was forced to donate

Amb Alhaji Abdul-Rahman Haruna Attah, former Ghanaian High Commissioner to Namibia,

• Haruna Attah says the National Chief Imam was forced to donate for the construction of the National Cathedral

• Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharabutu donated 50,000 cedis last week

• The seasoned journalist wants the chief imam to be free from politics

A former Ghanaian High Commission in Namibia, Ambassador Alhaji Abdul-Rahman Haruna Attah, claimed that the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, was forced to donate for the construction of the National Cathedral.

Haruna Attah, who described the National Cathedral as a political enterprise, argued that the chief imam should never be allowed to engage in activities that will put him in a bad light.

Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu donated GH ¢ 50,000 last week when two Christian clergy leaders paid him a courtesy visit on Thursday August 26th.

But in an interview monitored by GhanaWeb on Citi FM, Harruna Attah urged those close to the chief imam to prevent him from making such political advances.

He said: “The chief imam was pressured in what I call a political gesture. I think because of his progressive years he should be isolated from external political factors.

He further questioned the motive for said courtesy visit from Apostle Onyinah and Archbishop Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle.

“What’s the point of paying him a courtesy call, when did they start paying him a courtesy call?” “

The government and religious leaders have called on the public and businesses to voluntarily contribute to the project.

However, many Ghanaians have expressed concerns over the government’s construction of a religious monument at a time when there are deplorable roads, dilapidated schools and economic hardship in the country.