- The Nigerian Senate has urged the federal government of
Nigeria to give statutory backing to the existing Peace Corps
of Nigeria
- This was sequel to the report of the Senate committee on
judiciary, human rights and legal matters, urging the Senate to
go ahead with the adoption of the conference committee
report
- The Senate's move was however misunderstood in certain
quarters
The Nigerian Senate has clarified the ambiguity emanating
from the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill passed on Tuesday, July
25.
NAIJ.com gathered that two different groups had laid claims
to the Bill passed While Ambassador Dickson Akoh, the National Commandant
of Peace Corps of Nigeria had addressed the press, thanking
the National Assembly for "restoring hope to the Nigerian
youths"; Dr Chinedu Nneji, Commandant General of National
Unity and Peace Corps had also thanked the National
Assembly for passing the bill via a media statement.Dr Akoh's Peace Corps of Nigeria has been certified as the
beneficiary of the recent Senate's action. Photo credit: Peace
Corps of Nigeria
Reacting to the controversies surrounding the bill, the Senate
Spokesman, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said the bill passed
into law by the National Assembly was to give legal backing to
the existing Peace Corps of Nigeria, under Akoh.
Senator Abdullahi who made the statement on Thursday, July
27 while addressing National Assembly correspondents, said
the report in some quarters that the National Assembly
passed and adopted the National Unity and Peace Corps Bill
was misleading.
According to the the seantor, the National Unity and Peace
Corps Bill did not pass through the House of Representatives
and as such, the Senate could not force it on the them.“Let me say that, in the Senate, we had the Nigerian Peace
Corps Bill and we also had the National Unity and Peace
Corps Bill.
“When we were considering the Peace Corps Bill, an
observation was raised that there was another bill which has
similar objectives, that was the National Unity and Peace
Corps Bill.
“So it was agreed that the bill should be incorporated into the
Nigerian Peace Corps Bill. That was done. When we did that,
we then passed our own version,” he said.
Senator Abdullahi added that it was during the conference
committee to harmonise the two versions of the bill passed,
that the National Unity and Peace Corps Bill was removed and
the lower house version was adopted.He said: “The House of Reps maintained, that there was no bill
called the National Unity and Peace Corps Bill. So, there was
no basis for harmonisation. They maintained their stand that
the only bill they passed was the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill, for
which we also considered.
“So, at that point of harmonisation, the conference committee
adopted the position of the House of Reps.
“Effectively, what this means is that, the only agency which we
considered its bill was the bill that said, the Peace Corps of
Nigeria and, of course, dissolution within the context of that
bill only referred to Peace Corps of Nigeria.
“What that means effectively is that, the bill that says National
Unity and Peace Corps Bill is still intact, there is no provision
in our law where we have even touched it.
“We want to advise Nigerians to be guided by what we have
done, there should be no ambiguity.
“We know there are people out there who are claiming that
the Bill we passed affected them, I don't think that is the
correct picture.
“The bill we passed and adopted, was the one promoted by
the Peace Corps of Nigeria under Mr Dickson Akoh,” the
Senate spokesman explained.He however said the bill made provision for any group that is
peaceful and with similar objective, to approach the Nigerian
Peace Corps and be incorporated.

https://www.naij.com/1117279-peace-corps-we-pass-bill-senate-replies-chinedu-nneji.html

Gmm

So what's happening here