LASG refutes claims to place religious leaders on salary
The Lagos state government on Tuesday debunked viral report on the social media suggesting that it was planning to commence paying salary to religious leaders in the state, saying the claim was totally untrue and misleading.
Commissioner for Home Affairs, Abdulateef Abdulhakeem, who made the clarification while speaking on a television programme monitored in Lagos, said there was no iota of truth in the report, and urged members of the public to disregard it in its entirety.
He 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.
In the report, Abdulhakeem was quoted as saying that the state government would soon place religious leaders on the state salary structure to encourage them to use their Pulpit and the Minbar to re-orientate citizenry to shun corruption and immorality.
Clarifying his statement, the Commissioner said: “I must have been misunderstood or misquoted.
“In Lagos state, one of the remarkable successes of the present administration is that we have cutting-edge approaches to relate with religious leaders and that is why Lagos remains the most peaceful and most religious crisis-free-state in the federation, in spite of our cosmopolitan nature.”
Already, 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 (NIREC), which consists of people nominated by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), and the Muslim Community across the 57 Local Councils in the state.
He added that the general approach of the state government to religion was that of rule of law, good governance, constitutional democracy and more than anything, the observance and preservation of the fundamental human rights of Lagosians to freely practice their religion.
Responding to a question on why the state government was yet to implement a Court of Appeal judgment on the use of Hijab by school girls, Abdulhakeem said being a government which firmly believes in rule of law, the state government was awaiting the pronouncement of the Supreme Court on the matter, which, he said, was already before the apex court.
On taxes, the Commissioner said though religious institutions were exempted according to the state laws, but any religious body which engages in commercial activities was liable to pay tax.
The Commissioner said the state government had already embarked on massive enlightenment and re-orientation against noise pollution by religious leaders, but any resident who is affected by such, should, however, report either through the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), or the Ministry of Home Affairs for action.
