The Federal Government expressed reservations about...

The Federal Government expressed reservations about the European Union's concern over the death penalty for some offences in Nigeria.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alhaji Sule Lamido, stated the government position when he received a delegation of the Union, led by Jose Lopez, Charge d'Affaire of Spain, in Abuja.
"It is something we are doing as a matter of choice and not to be imposed on us from the outside," he said.
Lopez had told the minister that the delegation had come to express the EU's concern about the death penalty in Nigeria.
He said the union was made to understand that there was a moratorium on death penalty in Nigeria and wanted to know if this had been set aside in view of the death sentence passed on a woman in Zamfara [Sokoto] State recently.
Lamido said that the death penalty in Nigeria was in line with the provisions of the constitution and laws of the country, some of which were inherited from the colonial masters.
"I am surprised that the union is so concerned about the death penalty when millions of Africans are daily dying of AIDS, malaria and other diseases and not much is done about them," he said, adding that people were being sentenced and executed in the U.S.
He also spoke of Africa's debt problem which is militating against the continent's economic development and said he was sure that the developed nations could write off such debts without any damage to their economy.
Lamido said it was understandable that because of the dominance and pervasive influence of western civilisation, "the west tries to define world behaviour in line with the expectations of its citizens."
"I want to plead that you should try to understand the history, culture, peculiarity, environment and chemistry of our people. They voted for us and we are carrying out their mandate," he said, adding that the union should go beyond mere political declarations.
Lamido also said the death penalty was in line with provisions of the Sharia as practised in some states of the federation.
"I align myself with the Islamic law as a Muslim. If I steal I will submit my hand to be cut off," he said, adding that this will not in any way impinge on anybody's rights.