Economic experts recommend death penalty for corrupt public officials

The bad attitude of public office holders towards citizens in Nigeria has been described as one of the impediments to good governance in the country.
Government officials are however challenged to device capacity for working closely with citizens and involving them in activities that will bring development rather than indulging in issues that would create ill-feelings.
These formed the thinking of the academia, particularly scholars, at the University of Jos in Plateau State on Thursday.
Speaking separately, a professor of Political Economy and Development Studies of the University, Dung Pam Sha, and the professor of Economics, Ishmael Ogboru, hinged their arguments on the need for leaders to put aside selfish tendencies and be transparent and accountable.
Speaking during an inaugural lecture series of the University of Jos, on the topic: “Streets and boardroom: Contending hegemonic spaces in shaping political economy in Africa,” Sha, who defined boardroom as a space mostly used by the state for public policy making, and the street as space used by the working class and non-state actors to voice out their concerns, said both of them have contending spaces.
According to him, the gap between the streets and the boardrooms in many countries is large because it gives rise to regime reconstruction such as changing state bureaucratic and political personnel or reforms economic policies towards corporatism or short-term populist policies.
He gave the example of such countries as Egypt, Algeria and Libya, where street actions led to regime change.
She however suggested that in order to contain street action, there is the need for government and employers to relate and communicate effectively with those being led on policies and programmes.
In the like manner, Ogboru, while speaking at the 4th National Conference of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, held in Jos, linked the calamity of Nigeria to corruption.
Speaking on the topic: “Nigeria at a cross road: Challenges and prospect of economic development,” Prof Ogboru said: “Nigeria is not on the cross road. It is the attitude of our leaders that has brought us to where we are.
“Corruption is a hydra headed monster and road which crosses the principal road of economic development, thereby obstructing and almost obliterating the development of the Nigerian state.”
He called for a law making institution to support the Presidency in the fight against corruption by  strengthening laws that will warrant stiff penalty on corrupt leaders.
He said: “This paper therefore unequivocally asserts that the only way out is to adopt the death penalty option.
“This implies that there is need to enact a law to effect that once a public office holder is found guilty of corruption, he or she should be made to face the death penalty as is being worked in China, Ghana and other nations.”