Several governors,on Thursday, have out rightly rejected the suggestion that looters of the nation's resources be given the death penalty.
The Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC and the Trade Union Congress are trying to push for a death penalty to be signed into law for corrupt public office holders. This according to them will serve as a deterrence to other politicians in order to cure the country of the sickness of corruption.
Meanwhile, several Nigerian governors according to the Punch have frowned at the suggestion.
Labour said it was only by killing looters that the anti-corruption crusade being championed by President Muhammadu Buhari could succeed. But most governors, who reacted to the labour suggestion on Thursday, said the death sentence would be too harsh.
Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun said he would rather canvass that looters be sentenced to life imprisonment, rather than the death sentence prescribed by the organised labour. Amosun said this while addressing the state workers who had marched to the Oke Mosan state secretariat in Abeokuta to give their backing to Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade.
The state chapters of the NLC and TUC organised the rally.
The governor said, “Everybody knows President Muhammadu Buhari is transparent and meants well for the nation and would never want to hear anything about corruption.
“Even under 100 days in office, electricity is improving. People know that if you try it you are gone. I always say this, whether you are a governor, permanent secretary or labour leader, you cannot be corrupt under a leader that is not corrupt, because you will be punished.
“Unfortunately as a governor, I cannot be saying that capital punishment should be meted out to corrupt public officials. Because I cannot say that, that is why I will say that anybody that is found wanting, whether you are governor or any other public officer should be jailed for life.”
He however said that not only politicians should shun corruption but every Nigerian.
“It is not only politicians that should shun corruption, workers too should not be corrupt,” he added.
His counterpart in Plateau State, Simon Lalong, also said he would rather prefer life imprisonment to death penalty.