Lagos to pay Pastors, Imams salaries
As a way of carrying out reorientation of the citizenry to shun corruption and immorality, the Lagos State Government has announced plans to engage some religious leaders, including pastors and imams, and also place them on a salary structure.
According to Daily Trust, the announcement was made Lagos State commissioner for Home Affairs, Abdulhakeem Abdulateef, during a sensitization programme for imams and scholars across the state, on Thursday, July 26.
Religious leaders have also been tasked them to be above board and encourage their followers to shun corruption.
He said: “We shall be willing to even engage many of them by making provision for their salaries so that they can assist government to re-orientate the people for good.
“Imams and Pastors are believed to be men of God. So we need all of you to help us to encourage the right values in the society; particularly in the area of accountability and anti-corruption.
“We must remember that the Almighty Allah will ask all of us to render account of our deeds in the hereafter. So, the Imams and other religious clerics should lead us in the right direction because they are our leaders.”
This follows up report that many of Nigeria’s mega rich churches pay their pastors poor wages. Sunday Punch revealed that many Pastors of the country’s prosperity-preaching, super-rich mega churches who are polytechnic and university graduates, earn between N25,000 and N45,000 a month.
Some of the churches reviewed were the Redeemed Christian Church of God, the Living Faith World Outreach, popularly known as Winners Chapel, Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (an holiness church that has of late embraced economic empowerment themes), Christ Embassy International and Lord Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries.
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