A soldier who was seen in a viral video speaking out against plans by the Parliamentary Service Board to construct a new 450-seater chamber has allegedly been locked up by the military.
In the video, the officer is also heard appealing to President Nana Akufo-Addo not to support the new chamber, saying “we are fed up with them” and citing the luck of social amenities in many communities across the country.
“We can’t be leaving in this country when everyone takes decision which is so selfish. This is so selfish a decision and that chamber must drop,” he said.
The unnamed solider is likely to spend about a month in detention in accordance with military regulations, reports say.
The move to build a new chamber has angered many Ghanaians who have described the move as unnecessary and profligate.
The 450-seater chamber will come with a chapel, mosque, restaurant, and a museum.
The speaker of Parliament, Prof. Mike Ocquaye, said the government doesn’t know yet how much the new complex to be constructed will cost.
He disclosed that architectural firm run by UK based Ghanaian architect Sir David Frank Adjaye, Adjaye and Associate, came tops in a competitive bidding process ahead of two other firms to design and build the structure, the exact cost of the project has not been determined.
Justifying the construction of the new chamber, Majority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah said the chamber for the legislature is to avoid fights among members of the house.
According to him, the current chamber is not spacious enough for Parliamentarians due to the inflammatory nature of their debates sometimes.
