Rotimi Amaechi’s quest for the death penalty! -By Victor Ikhatalor

The Federal Government, according to the Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi is mulling capital punishment for rail track vandals in the country. During a Town Hall Meeting on “Protecting Public Infrastructure” which held in Abuja on Monday, 7th of June 2021, Mr Amaechi opined : “rail track vandalism is a capital offence and it’s consequences should be treated as such”.

Rail track vandalism, cannot just be seen as base acts of stealing for profit but must be seen – due to the hydra-headed resultant dire consequences – as  economic sabotage/terrorism and in applicable cases acts of enemy sabotage – translating into acts of war.

Since, Nigeria is not actively at war with another country/countries, we can discountenance that, as a rationale behind Mr Amaechi’s call for the death penalty. Indeed, rail track sabotage in times of war in every jurisdiction where it has been recorded has begotten summary trials(if any) and swift executions for those caught in sabotaging “permanent ways”. Such is the magnitude of the act!

In inference – deducing from the Minister’s speech – his call for the execution of rail track vandals is predicated on acts of economic terrorism resulting in the deaths of citizens. Vandalized rail tracks translates not only to sabotaging the economy i.e in needless expenditure to fix looted rail tracks but more poignant and consequential – vandalized rail tracks translates to derailed trains – which translates to dead commuters.

As concerning as the activities of thieving rail track saboteurs are, and as laudable as the intentions of the Federal Government through the plans by the Transportation Minister to seek the stiffest penalty to stem the tide  – the remedy and it’s conceptualization, unfortunately is in keeping with the prescribed methodology of our public office holders – in forever, falling over themselves to deal with the symptoms, instead of the disease – a “disease” of which they are the “host”.

By the way, whatever is wrong in the consideration of “life imprisonment” as a fitting and proper sanction! What is the continuing fascination with the imposition of “direst consequences” by the ruling class upon “subject” people – “sanctions” that they(elites) are averse to when mooted in any legislation that may affect them!

For a moment, let’s countenance the death penalty and see how best it can be applied as a sanction. Let’s look at the death penalty vis-a-vis consequential actions as expounded by Mr Amaechi. Let’s compare and contrast the nefarious activities of misleaders (disease) and hopelessly hungry vandals (symptom). Surely, what is good for the goose must be good for the gander!

What is the distinction between a rail track thief and a public office holder thief who steals money meant for roads, healthcare, pipe-borne water, pensions, military equipment, to mention but a few. Are there really any consequential differences as a result of the action of the rail track thief and thieves who steal from the public till, negating infrastructural development and provision of amenities etc.

Surely, the consequences of not fixing roads due to diversion of money translates to bad roads – which translates to accidents and deaths!

Surely, the consequences of stealing from funds appropriated for healthcare translates to rot and decay of the sector – which translates into needless deaths of Nigerians!

Surely, stealing money meant for the provision of clean drinking water translates into such diseases like cholera for those so deprived – which translates into untimely deaths of citizens!

Surely, the wicked and vile stealing of pensions of the aged translates into the miserable deaths of many of our beloved seniors!

Surely, stealing policing and military funds meant to equip those we send into harm’s way is an accursed act that translates into the needless deaths of so many of our warriors!

Surely, stealing funds meant for education is a damnable act that spews such inexhaustible ills ranging from; out of school children, banditry, kidnapping, etc – translating into insecurity and wanton deaths of citizens.

The consequential results of public office stealing (vandalism) are so odious, numerous and laced with such dire reckoning that indeed the death penalty as a sanction will be most deserving. Just like Mr Amaechi could see the consequential results of rail track bandits so clearly as to say ” I am not quantifying the material cost; what I am quantifying is the lives that will be lost” – so also are the results of official corruption so empirically and clearly manifest.

The Minister of Transportation said: “Imagine that a driver of a rail track is driving and suddenly bumps into a track that has been severed what happens? It will derail”.

What cannot be left to the imagination – is the fact that, Nigerians have perennially felt the consistent bumps in a country seemingly forever derailed by “vampiric” public office holders!

When Rt Hon Rotimi Amaechi goes to the National Assembly as he has alluded, he should go with a “Bill” backed by the government not only to seek the death penalty for rail track vandals but for oil pipeline vandals as well – and other crimes that fall within the ambit of “economic terrorism”.  At the very top and chief amongst crimes of economic terrorism must be government/official stealing that dwarfs all others in it’s consequences.

Victor Ikhatalor

Human Rights Defender and Good Governance Advocate

Twitter:  @MyTribeNigeria

Email: kingjvic7@gmail.com