I listened to my President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, during the fund-raising dinner for the National Cathedral in Washington DC recently. After months of also wondering vaguely "Why the need for a national cathedral?" It struck me suddenly as I listened! “Ladies and gentlemen, there are still some people who ask the question: "Why the national cathedral?" My President went on to explain that it was in thanksgiving to God for his mercies on the country and, secondly, to promote national unity and cohesion. But the third reason was like an epiphany to me. “Thirdly, I made a pledge to the Almighty God that if he was so gracious to grant my party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and myself victory in the 2016 general election, after two unsuccessful attempts, I will help build a cathedral to his glory and honour," he told his audience. That was the part that hit me! At the heart of the construction of a national cathedral is a pledge to God. That set me further in deeper thought and into some biblical research. David! Yes! King David at a point had to sacrifice to God in 2 Samuel 24. In his case, the sacrifice was to appease God for sending a plague on Isreal, in our case it is a promise in fulfilment of God's help with winning an election. That scripture offers lessons for all who make pledges, its costs; and it must be at a cost to the individual making it. I am really not against leaders making pledges. Already, some of my colleagues, who want to share in any of the benefits the grand cathedral construction pledge will result in, have donated at some GCB banking halls with boxes branded as such. What I am wondering about is whether the personal pledge of a President should be at the collective cost of citizens. It has been emphasised though that the construction of the cathedral would be at no cost to the public. However, the President is asking all to support by donating handsomely, as history shows that such massive edifices have been put up with the help of citizens. Already, public lands have been taken and dedicated to the cause. Some public buildings have been demolished - all built with taxpayers' money. I wonder if it would not have been great for the President to dedicate his own piece of land for the endeavour, but then the question would have been how he could have acquired such vast proportions of land for sacrifice...Or? In that case, he might have had to scrimp and save as President of a developing third world country to get the money for the land for his promise. The whole cathedral business confuses me a bit. It is great to pledge to God, but can a pledge be at no sacrifice to the pledger? As David said in that chapter, he was not going to give God anything that did not cost him anything. Yes, Mr President has pledged $100,000 to the edifice but what is that to him? I am not seeing the cost to the President in this matter at all. It is as if he has promised for Ghanaians; meanwhile, the benefits for which the promise was made was not for all, since there are some National Democratic Congress (NDC) die-hard supporters, who did not vote for him. If the President had dedicated his house and all his wealth for the realisation of the promise, my poor brains would not have been pushed into this overdrive of thought. I am still endeavouring to know the cost to my President!