We Have No Plans To Pay Religious Leaders Salary – Lagos Govt

Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi-Ambode

Govt Only Encourages Religious Leaders To Advise People To Shun Corruption

A viral report making rounds on social media, stating that the Lagos State government was planning to commence the payment of salary to religious leaders in the state, has been debunked by the state government stating that the claim was totally untrue and misleading.

A press release signed by the Chief Press Secretary, Habib Aruna, states that the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Mr. Abdulateef Abdulhakeem, made the clarification while speaking on a television programme monitored in Lagos.

Abdulhakeem said: “The clear position is that the Lagos State Government is not intending to employ imams and pastors. There is no such plan and there is no willingness on our part to delve into a private realm.

“What exists in Lagos State is that there is a symbiotic relationship between the Lagos State Government and faith-based organisations and it is a mutually beneficial relationship which has contributed to the growth and development of the state,” Abdulhakeem said.

Abdulhakeem, had earlier been quoted as saying that the state government would soon place religious leaders on state salary structure to encourage them to use their pulpits to orientate people of the need to shun corruption and immorality.

While clarifying his statement, Abdulhakeem said: “I must have been misunderstood or misquoted. We were at a forum where we were trying to encourage religious leaders to be advocates against corruption because religious leaders have millions of adherents and they enjoy the allegiance of millions of followers and we expect them to use the pulpit and the minbar to advocate for good governance and selflessness so that they can influence their members positively.”

The commissioner said a structured approach had been put in place to relate with religious leaders in the state through the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council, which consists of people nominated by the Christian Association of Nigeria and the Muslim Community across the 57 local councils in the state.

“They meet regularly to interact on religious issues and Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has even further decentralised that, whereby over 700 of them were appointed, based on their nominations, and they are volunteers who are not paid anything. They come together to nip religious crisis in the bud,” he said.