Tuesday, November 15, 2011

My monthly salary is less than N1m - Gov Aliyu
Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State said yesterday that contrary to public expectations, his monthly salary as governor is not up to N1 million. He explained that “many people don’t know that the only thing we enjoy (as governors) is free food, but the salary is less than a million naira per month.
Governor Aliyu declared this yesterday in Abuja when he delivered a goodwill message at the fund-raising dinner organised for the Kogi State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Captain Idris Wada and his running mate, Arc. Yomi Awoniyi held at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.
He explained that as a public official, he can’t make donation because of the activities of some mischief makers lurking around to cash on it. The governor, who donated his one month salary to the Wada/Awoniyi campaign organisation, said that it is very easy for the mischief makers to write a petition against him to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He lamented the current trend where anonymous petition writers are having a field day. “I know that civil servants in those days don’t entertain anonymous petitions. But today, if someone doesn’t like my face, I didn’t make my face bad. I have no choice. And somebody is slighting me because of that, and will be haunting me in and out, I think it is not right.”
The Niger State governor who is also the chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, said: “I make my personal donation of my one month salary which is less than N1 million. Many people don’t know that the only thing we enjoy is the free food, but the salary is less than a million naira! That is my personal donation.”
The event was attended by Governors Idris Ibrahim of Kogi, Isa Yuguda of Bauchi, Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Zainab Maina; former PDP national chairman, Dr. Ahmadu Ali, his wife and Special Adviser to the President on Inter-governmental Affairs, Mariam Ahmadu Ali; former Chief of Army Staff, General Salihu Ibrahim (rtd) and General David Jemibewon (rtd), among other party chieftains and supporters.

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