Senator Ali Ndume, the Chief Whip of the Senate, has proposed a controversial stance on the punishment of corrupt politicians.

He suggests that those who embezzle trillions should face the ultimate penalty, while lesser amounts should incur less severe consequences.

Ndume argues that the nature of corruption in Nigerian politics is individualistic and often goes unpunished.

He contends that the scale of political corruption is relatively minor compared to the broader scope of corruption, which he describes as "people-driven."

According to Ndume, politicians who engage in corruption tend to redistribute their ill-gotten gains among the populace. He believes this practice is driven by the expectation of reciprocity from the electorate.

In his words: “If you compare us, politicians, to all the corruption, it is very small. Our corruption is people-driven.

“If you steal it, you will go and share it with the people. If you don’t, you are not coming back for four years. There is no reason for stealing.

“I have been to the National Assembly; I can’t say because we are on TV now and not telling the truth.

“If the death penalty is supposed to be included in corruption, I will support it but you don’t go and kill someone that stole one million or one billion, no. But someone who steals one trillion of government money should be killed.”