prof. dora akunyili backs death penalty for corruption.

Former Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili, has supported the call for capital punishment for corrupt practices in order to transform the country.Akunyili, who was the guest lecturer at the 7th lecture of the College of Natural and Applied Sciences, Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun State, on Wednesday, said the desired change in the country had been hampered by corruption, insecurity, poor leadership among others social vices.

She said, "In China, it is death penalty for corruption. I believe if we are really serious about fighting corruption, there is the need to insert harsher clauses to make corruption less attractive, just like they do in China.

"Once, one, two, three, four corrupt people are executed for corruption, some others who have such tendency will definitely fall in line."

According to Akunyili, if the government fails to punish corrupt practices, it might as well be promoting it.

She added, "We just have to find a way to decisively fight corruption before it completely ruins this beautiful country."

The former minister, who presented a paper entitled 'National Transformation: the Challenge of our Time', also suggested that the government must introduce a social security scheme for the unemployed youths as done in the United States and the United Kingdom.

She noted that government in those countries paid stipend to their unemployed so that the lives of the rich and middle class would be secured.

She added, "It is common sense that the rich will remain unsafe in the midst of a hungry and angry majority. Government in the Western world understands that the negative energy vibrating from such people is enough to create discomfort."

Akunyili, who suggested that the government could start the scheme with the physically challenged and the aged, commended the Ekiti State Government for introducing a social security for the aged.

"To me, being a good leader means being a principled leader, and being principled simply means being a man or woman of your words, being guarded by the right moral compass, doing the right thing anytime, anywhere and even in the face of threats of any type. It is simply leadership by example," she stated.

According to her, when a leader compromised his position by sharing filthy lucre with his or her subordinates, he or she has lost the right leadership authority and incapable of instilling any discipline in the work force.

She said, "When I was in NAFDAC, if I had allowed officers in the ports or the registration desks and other sensitive areas to make returns to me, we would not have been able to record any success in sanitising the food and drug sector.

Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof Isaac Adeyemi, said the institution invited Akunyili because of her pedigree and contributions to the nation's development.