Lagos—Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has said that unless Nigerian leaders lived above board by imbibing and showing high level of moral authority, it would be difficult to stop the menace of corruption in the country.
The governor, who said this at an interactive session with the Lagos State Governor’s Office Correspondents, LAGOCO, at the weekend, noted that though the concept of corruption was multi-faceted, theft constituted worst part of the practice.
Fashola admitted that though corruption was a heinous crime, it could not be stopped by capital punishment in the country.
He said: “As for corruption I have my own views that I have expressed consistently about corruption and I have always said corruption is the symptom of a more serious problem.
“There are so many levels of corruption and I think the Nigerian people or nation must reach an agreement about what we want to do about corruption. “When we say we must stop corruption, who is ready to lead by example? Corruption is not only taking money and I disagree that stealing is not corruption.
“If you are driving against traffic, though it is an infraction against the traffic law to get to where you do not deserve, it is corruption.
“If you go to the commissioner to get a promotion for your sister before promotion examination in the ministry, is that fair? These are cases of corruption. Can you sentence somebody to death for that?
“So I don’t think sentencing people to jail or death is the answer to the problem of corruption.
“The answer first is to provide enough for people and to lead them with a moral authority that is everybody knows that it is bad to cheat and when they break the rules that there will be consequences.
Fashola
Fashola admitted that though corruption was a heinous crime, it could not be stopped by capital punishment in the country.
He said: “As for corruption I have my own views that I have expressed consistently about corruption and I have always said corruption is the symptom of a more serious problem.
“There are so many levels of corruption and I think the Nigerian people or nation must reach an agreement about what we want to do about corruption. “When we say we must stop corruption, who is ready to lead by example? Corruption is not only taking money and I disagree that stealing is not corruption.
“If you are driving against traffic, though it is an infraction against the traffic law to get to where you do not deserve, it is corruption.
“If you go to the commissioner to get a promotion for your sister before promotion examination in the ministry, is that fair? These are cases of corruption. Can you sentence somebody to death for that?
“So I don’t think sentencing people to jail or death is the answer to the problem of corruption.
“The answer first is to provide enough for people and to lead them with a moral authority that is everybody knows that it is bad to cheat and when they break the rules that there will be consequences.
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