Governors of Ekiti and Rivers state have kicked
against the suggestion that government officials
found guilty of stealing the Nations treasury should
be sentenced to death.
The state governors spoke against this during the
National rallies held by NLC members to canvass for
support for the Buhari anti corruption drive as well
as call for death penalty to be enforced on corrupt
government officials.
Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Idowu
Adelusi, Fayose argued that death penalty which has
been enforced in some other countries has not
stopped the looting of public funds in those
countries.
"In countries where death penalty was introduced, it
has not stopped looting. In advanced countries like
US, jail sentence is the penalty. What we need is
proper moral education to change orientation of the
people. Jail sentence is better; it can reform," he
told Punch
In the same vein, the Rivers state Governor, Nyesom
Wike who spoke through his media aide, Opunabo
Inko-Tariah, said that death penalty was practiced in
the military regime. He however called for a review of
the laws on looting the Nations treasury
"Nigerians have a role to play by deriding looters and
not to praise them for their fiscal irresponsibility.
There should be a strong punitive measure to
discourage looting because of its domino effects.
When a treasury is looted, there won't be money for
the provision of necessities such as hospitals, roads,
etc. Maybe because it happened in Ghana and the
economy improved, the labour organisations want it
in Nigeria. But that was a military regime and Jerry
Rawlings was a military man. However, the extant
laws on looting need serious and urgent review, even
if the death penalty is discouraged."he said
Ondo state governor, Olusegun Mimiko, who spoke
through his information commissioner, Kayode
Akinmade, said due process must be followed if
Nigerians agree that the death penalty is what should
be meted on corrupt officials.
"We are not under a military rule; this is democracy
and we have constitution that we follow. If it is put in
the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,
irrespective of whether you are a governor or not, so
be it. If that is what Nigerians want, it is okay.
Everybody is against corruption, but there is a
process of making law. Thank God we have a
National Assembly and the state assemblies who are
representative of the people. If such bill could be
sent to the national and state assemblies and be
passed into law, it must become a law. If the process
is followed and it is the wish of Nigerians that looters
be killed, why not? Let it become a law. It is a fact that
Nigerians are not happy with this corruption tag,
which has slowed down our economic development
but if we have a law that will bring about capital
punishment for the looters, it is okay."he said
AbleMoJah® Nigeria.
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