Nigerian Peace Corps Bill Set For Presidential Assent

Finally, truth has triumphed over falsehood and the day has been separated from the night. On this platform, we intimate the general public on the status of the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill. Yesterday, with joy and all sense of clarity, we provide report of the Conference Committee of the National Assembly bestowed with the mandate to harmonise the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill.

You may wish to recall that both the Senate and House of Representatives in 2016 passed two different versions of the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill. This development calls for the need to harmonise the Bill in line with the rules of the National Assembly before it will be transmitted to Mr President for his assent.

It is therefore in view of this that the two Chambers of the National Assembly setup a Conference Committee to reconcile the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill in their respective Plenary in November, 2016.

It is noteworthy to re-state that the core mandate of the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill is to Empower, Develop and provide gainful employment for the youths, to Facilitate

Peace, Volunteerism, Community Services, Neigbhourhood Watch, Nation-building and other related matters. However, history was once again made today with the laying and approval of the report of the Conference Committee on the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill by the two Chambers of the National Assembly.

The Committee observed differences in twelve (12) Clauses of the Bill passed and consequently harmonized same. The major aspects of the Bill that where harmonized are as follows:

• The outright rejection of the Clause that included the National Unity and Peace Corps in the Bill. It would be recalled that it was only the Senate that passed the National Unity and Peace Corps Bill, while that of the Nigerian Peace Corps was passed by both the Senate and House of Representatives. During the Conference Committee of the two chambers, the House of Representatives out-rightly rejected the National Unity and Peace Corps Bill on the ground that the Bill was never before it.

• Clause 37(g) was adopted with an amendment to read “that groups, associations and organisations that have similar objectives and have shown or demonstrated interest to be absorbed as members of the Nigerian Peace Corps shall be absorbed subject to the mandatory Initial Training/Orientation Programme as prescribed from time-to-time upon the commencement of this Act”.

• It is equally significant to stress here that the Conference Committee retains the domiciling of the Nigerian Peace Corps in the Federal Ministry of Youth Development; the Ministry that is statutorily vested with the responsibility of overseeing youth matters.

• The Committee retains the age limit of individuals who shows interest to be enlisted as members of the Nigerian Peace Corps to be between 18 and 35 years upon the commencement of this Act.

• Above all, the nomenclature or better still, the title of the Head of the Nigerian Peace Corps as recognized by the Act is the ‘National Commandant’. The harmonized report has finally put to rest all the needless controversies bordering on which organization’s Bill that was passed by the National Assembly. Find enclosed, for confirmation, the order paper on the set proceedings of today’s seating.

The consolidated report approved by the House of Representatives today has brought to conclusion all legislative processes. Thus, the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill is now ripe and ready to be transmitted to Mr President for his assent.

In view of this significant milestone in the history this organisation, on behalf of the entire Officers and Men of the Peace Corps of Nigeria and the Nigerian Youths as a whole, I wish to express our profound appreciation to the leadership and the entire members of the National Assembly for their
sense of patriotism, high sense of justice and the confidence reposed in this organisation.

Despite the prevailing economic realities, I urge all officers and men of this organization nationwide as well as our supporters and well-wishers to exercise patience as we remain hopeful and highly optimistic that the President will assent to this all-important Bill as soon as possible.

God bless Peace Corps of Nigeria!

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!