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The new Senate President, Ahmed Lawan appears to have a penchant for controversy as he is once again trending on social media.
The leader of the Senate on Wednesday had debunked public notions about jumbo salary being taken home by senators monthly and claimed a Nigerian senator's take-home totals N750, 000 only.
Prof. Itse Sagay, President Muhammadu Buhari's Special Adviser on Corruption, was not going to let that fly as he released statements insisting that Lawan was lying.
Sagay insists, “He (Lawan) knows that nobody will take him seriously. I respect and like him, but what he has done is to give half-truth. He is telling us the actual salary without mentioning anything about the allowances.
“That’s where the jumbo pay comes in when you talk of building, furniture, domestic this or that, 15 items and those items alone bring everything up to N13.5m a month. So, simply mentioning the base salary, which brings it over N14m, is not sufficient.
“So, technically, he’s right, that’s their salary. But what is his income, take-home pay, at the end of the month? It’s about N15m and we are not including so many other things we need not talk about now.”
Still, on the political scene, recall that last week, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike had claimed during a crusade held by the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Church in Port Harcourt that Rivers is a “Christian state and cannot be touched by anyone”.
The sixth and current Governor of Rivers State who is an Ikwerre born insisted that it was God's intervention that ensured his victory in the last gubernatorial elections.
“We saw forces, but the greater force, God Almighty came. With this crusade, Rivers State will be abundantly blessed,
“I repeat once again without apologies, Rivers is a Christian state. That is why nobody can touch us. When it mattered most, the Christian community prayed and God heard your prayers.
“I will continue to support the activities of all churches. This government will always partner the churches, whatever the programme they are engaged in. I urge the church to continue to pray. Each time you pray, put us in your prayers.
“On March 9, light prevailed over darkness. God showed himself and he is in charge. But for God, I wouldn’t have been here addressing the Christian faithful. The enemies came to Rivers state to take over and stop the will of the people but God said no, and the people’s will prevailed.”
Governor Wike further buttressed that his administration will continue to support and partner with the church.
Many have viewed his statement as discriminatory and divisive. A case in point is the Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, who Thursday criticized Wike.
The statement read: “At a time when Nigeria is facing religious and ethnic crises, a state governor still has the temerity to declare his state a Christian state. Wike is short in intellect, long in impunity.
“It is not his first time of making this pronouncement. We ignored him the first time because we did not want to dignify him with a response. But he has just exposed himself as an analogue governor with a triangular approach to all problems: religion, violence, and impunity. Wike cannot think outside this triangular box.
“At a time when religious fanaticism is on the rise and the authorities are cautioning Nigerians to be moderate, a state governor is running loose with reckless statements like, ‘I repeat once again without apologies, Rivers is a Christian state. That is why nobody can touch us’.
“This is nothing but articulated demagoguery. It is audacious, preposterous and myopic. It is also a dangerous precedent. Nonetheless, Wike’s statement must also be seen as meaningless unless he can establish Canon law for his ‘Christian State’. That is the challenge we like to throw at Governor Wike. He should promulgate canon law without any hesitation, otherwise, all his boasts amount to nothing. They are empty.
In entertainment, Miracle Igbokwe, last season's winner of Big Brother Naija announced on his instagram that he is now a pilot.
The aspiring pilot is no longer "an aspiring". The winner of Big Brother Naija season 3, has been certified as an "Instrument Rated" pilot!
Miracle who dived into turning his aviation dreams into reality after winning the prize money last year, made the announcement on Instagram.
And in Sport, Pep may be returning to Camp Nou very soon.
The Manchester City coach says will return to Barcelona eventually, but he has ruled out the possibility of becoming a future club president.
However, he doesn’t appear to be in any real rush to consider his options, as having guided the Citizens to a domestic treble last year and having built a quality, young squad at the Etihad, he may be set up for a significant stay.
Speaking on his return to the city for an event this week though, Guardiola conceded that he’ll likely return to Barcelona to live in the future, but he certainly has no plans to run for the club presidency.
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