Who Is Afraid Of Death Penalty For Stealing Public Fund?

OPINION

By Frank Oshanugor

A few days ago, a statement the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai made some time in 2019 came up again in the media. He had posited that without death penalty, 90% of public office holders who corruptly enrich themselves may see it as their right to do so.

With this assertiion, he had subtly advocated death penalty for public office holders who corruptly enrich themselves in Nigeria.

Interestingly since the publication, some Nigerians who commented on the issue have taken different positions either in support or against while some have described the ex-governor’s position as laughable since he could not be exonerated from the offence of corrupt enrichment if his past administration as Governor were to be probed by the incumbent leadership.

Quite frankly, the former two-time Governor may not be free from guilt of corrupt enrichment while he served but I crave to align with his position which remains the only option now left in the fight against all forms of financial embezzlement by public office holders.

It is heart-breaking that even though every administration particularly since the dawn of the Fourth Republic has come with one mantra or the other against corrupt enrichment, the country gets worsened through primitive accumulation by those in corridors of power. The Olusegun Obasanjo administration which lasted for eight years, did much to create anti corruption agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) yet, a good number of public office holders dared the administration and humongously embezzled public funds.

While the administration did its best to bring some culprits to book, many others escaped punishment for different reasons. The Umaru Yar’Adua era tried to follow in the mold of its predecessor, but the administration was short-lived due to ill-health and subsequent death of President Yar’Adua.

The Goodluck Jonathan’s administration that took over the reins of power tried to embrace economic discipline through the intervention of the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala whose economic policy wizardry was top-notch, but the hawks in the then ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) played the spoiler game. Billions were stashed away in the guise of fathom projects, fuel subsidy and arms purchase while President Jonathan looked elsewhere.

Nigerians heaved some sigh of relief when retired General Muhammadu Buhari came with zero tolerance for corruption mantra in 2015. Many believed him and voted for him with the hope that he was going to re-enact the anti-corruption tendencies of his military administration between 1983 and 1985 when he was Head of State.

Nigerians were innocently wrong as Buhari’s eight year rule between 2015 and 2023 threw up the worst corrupt governance in the history of the country. In spite of the harsh economic measures that drastically reduced the earning powers of the middle class and the less privileged group, the politicians and their accolytes had field days looting the national treasury without bathing an eyelid.

The Buhari era came with some oddities and elementary cruckedness in stealing of public funds. Nigerians would wake up from sleep to hear such strange news that a snake has swallowed N12billion in one office, a government official has spent N250million clearing grass in one IDP, N500billion has been shared to every poor Nigerian. The bizzare stories continued unabated till Buhari handed Nigerians over to the incumbent administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Already, the merry go round has begun. It started with the “settlement” of those in the high echelon of the judiciary. It extended to National Assembly where SUV vehicles which cost the nation billions in foreign exchange were purchased.

Now, the Humanitarian Affairs Minister; Betta Edu and some others have come to limelight with allegation of corrupt practice less than six months in office. Check out the amount involved and it will shock you.

Now, the question is, how long shall Nigeria and Nigerians continue to tolerate such harvest of economic destruction by those in corridors of power in a country that often goes cap in hand pleading for debt forgiveness from foreign creditors? How long shall we continue to tolerate those who thrive in primitive accumulation at the expense of the less privileged Nigerians?

At times, I cry in the dark for the orchestrated destruction of our common patrimony by political office holders and their associates whose lot is greed and self enrichment at the expense of the masses.

Nigeria is fast becoming a failed state for the inability of those driving its affairs to uphold the tenets of democracy which universally should be anchored on rule of law, transparent governance, economic prosperity, social welfare, security and many more.

It is appalling that we all live happily in a country where civil servants who retired after 35 years of meritorious service to the nation would remain for about ten more years waiting to receive their retirement benefits whereas those they voted into power are flying with tax payers money to Dubai or elsewhere to celebrate their birthdays and even the birthdays of their wives and side chicks. We live in an era of ostentatious life style by our leaders.

The reign of impunity has become legendary and I strongly feel this is the time to save Nigeria and future generations from those who are bent on killing all of us through their greed and wickedness.

I support Nasir el-Rufai in his death penalty crusade. This is the time to tie the economic looters to the stake and shoot them or taken to the gallow and be beheaded.

They do not deserve to live because they are murderers through their primitive accumulation and extravagant lifestyle at the expense of millions of the less privileged.

Death penalty is the way to go for economic looters if we must get Nigeria back on track. I know surely, that it may sound primitive to advocate such, but let the doubting Thomases take a trip to China and check how a country is governed. There, the fear of death is the beginning of wisdom for any government official with intent to embezzle public fund. Let it begin here also.