Chairman, Panel of Judges, Ladies and Gentlemen, I stand before you to support the motion which states that "Corrupt public officers, too, deserve capital punishment." Yes, I think that public officers who are corrupt should be made to face capital punishment. Public officers are people working in in government offices and hold responsible positions on behalf of the public. They include teachers, civil servants and the much talked about policemen and women.
It is obvious that our public offices are stinking with corruption. Public officers who had. been known in the past as exemplary examples of good conduct are now corrupt. Our public offices are occupied by dishonest and corrupt people. Nowadays, you can now talk about corrupt teachers, doctors, nurses, government officials and policemen and women.
This ugly development has a far-reaching implication for our society. It has made us lose our great values and qualities such as honesty, hard work and good conduct. All these values are now replaced with bribery, corruption, immorality and mediocrity. It is high time we nipped this development in the bud with a drastic measure like capital punishment.
Ladies and gentlemen, should we continue to promote corruption in our society? Definitely no. We should all rise up to combat corruption among our public officers. If we could execute armed robbers by firing squad, why shouldn't we do the same thing to any corrupt officer who is found guilty of using his office to enrich himself unjustly at the expense of the people. I am sure my opponent would want us to understand that capital punishment is outdated and out fashioned forgetting that a corrupt officer is worse than an armed robber because such corrupt officer is dangerous to the societal values that we cherish so much.
Capital punishment for corrupt public officers is the only measure that can bring sanity to our public offices. If public officers realise that capital punishment will be meted out to them if they are found guilty. they will conduct themselves in the rightful manner expected of their offices. We have all been talking about corruption among our public officers. The only step we can take in eradicating corruption is by taking drastic measures such as capital punishment. Enough of slogans against corruption among public officers. Slogans. you will all agree with me. can not eradicate corruption; it can only encourage it. On the other hand, if guilty corrupt officers are punished with execution by firing squad or amputation of their arms, we would achieve positive results.
Furthermore, our past glories in public services can be brought back if we punish public officers with capital punishment. It will make public service itself worthwhile and this will lead to having a decent society. It will discourage all forms of sleaze in our society and redeem the battered image of the country abroad. It will further promote the love of Nigerians for their country.
In conclusion, I think that our corrupt public officers too deserve capital punishment. The argument that capital punishment will offend our decency as a nation is out of place. A corrupt public officer has done more harm to the society than a robber. He has killed the morality and conscience of the whole society and therefore he deserves to be punished with capital punishment. I believe that I have been able to convince you that corrupt public officers too deserve capital punishment as meted out to armed robbers. Thank you.
Olaitan Olukunbi.