IN fairness to Senate President David Bonaventure Alechenu Mark he had listed “capital punishment for offences” in his message of hope at the beginning of 2013. His concern then was terrorist attacks that had dominated security issues since 2010.

When kidnapping was rampant, his proposed solution was the death sentence. Capital punishment, which he wants for pipeline vandalisation and bunkering, is in line with extreme measures to address situations that have continued to task us as a people.

Death sentence, as lawyers opposed to Mark’s position rightly pointed out, has not stopped armed robbery almost 40 years after it came into effect. Robbers are more vicious and explore a justice system that is in decays, like most public institutions.

Mark must be worried about an estimated $6 billion (N960 billion), or about a quarter of the annual national budget, lost to oil vandals.  We are concerned too about the situation, but we are against a solution that neglects causes of the surge in crime. The issues are rooted in neglect of the common good.

Bad governance and corruption fuel crimes, contrary to positions that criminals use them as excuses. Bad governance has divided Nigeria between custodians of public resources who deploy them to themselves – and others, the poor, the weak, who essentially bear the brunt of bad governance and death sentences for offences.

A wonder of Mark’s position is the speed with which the high and mighty propose death for the poor – the others – while shielding themselves from harsh punishments through weak legislations. Why is corruption exempt from the death sentence?

“We will seek to bring succour to our nation and re-energise our people’s faith in one indivisible nation and in constitutional democracy by a legislative agenda that not only promotes the common good, but also responsive to the national mood and expectations,” Mark promised in January.

Here comes Mark’s succour! Millions of children – future of indivisible Nigeria – are out of school. They are fancifully classified as poor; and they would become poorer with their parents’ pensions, running into trillions of Naira, stolen by those who are above death sentences. Would capital punishment be against common good if applied to pension theft?

The likes of Mark ignore injustices in the dispensation of justice, where they involve others.

Governments treat Nigerians with contempt, an abnegation of their responsibility to the people. Nobody punishes governments’ irresponsibility, including ceaseless inclinations to blame peoples’ expectations that governments should provide basic amenities, as obstacles to governance.

Where is justice in death penalty for pipeline vandals when bad governance and corruption which devastate the people more are never punished? We are against laws that would promote injustice.