KATSINA state Commissioner of Information, Dr Bala Salisu Zango, has said the administration of Governor Dikko Umar Radda did not make any welfare provision for Christian clerics as published by Sahara Reporters recently.
He said the state administration did not turn to pastors for peaceful prayers and did not approve monthly stipends for Christian clerics in any part of the state.
Dr. Zango stated this in a press release in Katsina.
Making reference to an earlier release signed by the secretary of the Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN) Katsina state chapter, Dr Musa Daniel Danladi, that the state has approved monthly stipends to Christian clerics in the state, he said it is not true.
He said: “There has never been any official statement from the Katsina state government about paying stipends to Christian clerics since the inception of Dikko Radda as a governor.”
According to the statement, “the claim appears to be misinformation circulating as fake news, politically motivated to cause confusion between the state government and Christian faithful in the state.”
Zango also stated that the Katsina state government has no reason or intention to approve stipends to Christian clerics, saying such claims are fake news without basis.
“The state government has not issued any policy, directive, or statement to this effect,” he said.
He advised the public to exercise caution with fake information circulating in non-reputable news outlets.
