The House of Representatives, on Thursday, voted against the Bill for an Act to Establish the Nigerian Peace Corps.

President Muhammadu Buhari had declined to sign the controversial Nigerian Peace Corps (Establishment Bill) 2017 recently passed by the National Assembly.

He conveyed his decision to withhold his assent in a letter sent to the National Assembly on February 27.

The President had given two reasons for rejecting the proposed organisation.

One of which was “security concerns regarding the proposed Nigerian Peace Corps being authorised to undertake activities currently being performed by extant security and law enforcement agencies.”

The second reason was “financial implications of funding the establishment and operations of the proposed Nigerian Peace Corps, given the scarce financial resources, which may pose a serious challenge to the government.”

Representing the bill for a second reading at the plenary, as part of the process to override the President’s veto, Rep Emmanuel Orker-Jev (Benue APC) argued that the two reasons cited by President Buhari were not strong enough to stand down the bill.


Other lawmakers in support of Orker-Jev, who was the sponsor of the bill, included Reps Lovette Ndubuisi (Delta PDP), Tahiru Monguno (Borno APC), Jonathan Gaza (Nasarawa PDP), Goni Lawal (Yobe APC), Rita Orji (PDP), Rimande Shawulu (Taraba PDP), Sunday Adepoju (Oyo APC), Istifanus Gyang (Plateau PDP), among others.

According to Ndubuisi, Nigeria should be able to operate a security system that can be juxtaposed with international practice.

He said the acceptability of the bill could not be overemphasised.

Monguno said the establishment of Peace Corps would help to strengthen the country’s security structure.

”No amount of money spent to guarantee the security of lives and property will be too much,” he said.

Orji argued that if passed into law, the creation would help to combat the high rate of unemployment among the youths in the country.

”There are many jobless people in our society today. And when a boy has nothing doing, he will end up as area boy. So if Peace Corps will reduce the unemployment rate, I think we should see it as a palliative measure,” she said.


Also, Shawulu said since the country was under-policed, the need to have such security agency was timely.

However, some of the legislators opposed the idea, citing financial constraint among other reasons.

Those who disagreed with the proposal included Reps Ahmed Wase (Plateau APC), Bashir Baballe (Kano APC), Abubakar Adamu (Niger APC), Osai Osai (Delta PDP), Alhassan Doguwa (Kano APC), Babajimi Benson (Lagos APC), A. Adar (Sokoto APC).

According to Wase, the supposed head of the organisation collected N50, 000 from each applicants.

”Is that the only avenue to employ? We should remember that those who started the Civil Defence today are still volunteering. Will this one not go the same way?

”I appeal to my brother to step down the bill and let us do a thorough job on it,” he said.

On his part, Baballe argued that at a time when the existing security agencies were underfunded, it would be improper to establish a new one.


Adamu also cited the issue of inter-agency rivalry among security agencies as another reason for the bill to be stepped down.

He said such act might undermine the security of the country.

Doguwa stated that what the country should focus on at the moment was how to consolidate on the existing security agencies to make them efficient.

After a tensed deliberation that lasted for over an hour, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, put a question on whether the bill should go for a second reading.

However, majority of the lawmakers across party lines voted against it.

It would be recalled that the proposed outfit had generated serious controversies across the country.

Among security agencies, particularly the Nigeria Police, there was an outright rejection of the corps on the grounds that it would duplicate the duties of the existing agencies.

So much sacrifice put in it by many.

dareyyyy:
So much sacrifice put in it by many.

Yes. It's gone and gone forever.

Oh sad

anybody who supports this useless peace corps bpth those trying to push it and those thinking they can gain "employment" for it are brain dead people... the duplication of responsibilities in the security field is at its maximum and you want amother to comeup based on the fact that you think thats the easiest way for you to get a "govt" job, you must be a joker and you dont have nigerias interest at heart.. if you think establishing a peace corp when nscdc is already in existence it should not be, then Then you should be sent to Daura with Buhari in 2019. this is the onlt wise decision the dullard has taken since his win in 2015..

hahahahahahah.. peace corp my foot. the most painful thing is dat some people wasted their time, energy and resources over irrelevance vigilante job knw as peace corp.. my advice for u is to go n apply for on going nigeria prison recruitment and federal fire service. okk. Dikson must be apprehend for d money extortion from poor desperate youth over unrealistic job... hahahahahahah.. i dey laugh ooo.

So at last this peace corp ended like a ponzi scheme.Many invested their hard earned money just to ensure that it works out.It's highly pathetic.

Oh my fellow countrymen are so wicked and useless. Do you know how many breadwinners enrolled in that scheme? instead of attacking politicians stealing your money on daily basis , you idiots are here attacking your fellow youths whose crime is because they want to earn a living for themselves. shameless lots.

We cannot say because of unemployment, every privately owned organization should be adopted by the federal government.

If the youths want to demand for meaningful government employment, let them ask for reasonable employment, not the nonsense Peace Corps that have over the years been used to swindle unsuspecting youths.

The numbers of police personnel ought to be doubled. That of immigration ought to be tripled, that of customs increased significantly, not some phantom Peace Corps that will replicate functions of existing security agencies.

Youths should now demand for monies they have paid to Peace Corps that promised them that the corps will soon become a federal government security outfit. To those duped, I wish you the best.

PlsBanMe:
We cannot say because of unemployment, every privately owned organization should be adopted by the federal government.

If the youths want to demand for meaningful government employment, let them ask for reasonable employment, not the nonsense Peace Corps that have over the years been used to swindle unsuspecting youths.

The numbers of police personnel ought to be doubled. That of immigration ought to be tripled, that of customs increased significantly, not some phantom Peace Corps that will replicate functions of existing security agencies.

Youths should now demand for monies they have paid to Peace Corps that promised them that the corps will soon become a federal government security outfit. To those duped, I wish you the best.

Who should be held liable? Is it Dickson or those they lobbied with their money.The money collected from these guys is huge.Just ordinary 1000 naira collected during immigration recruitment under Abba Morro could not be refunded talk more of this.It's a pity that a Nigerian duped Nigerian youths just looking for job in order to serve their father land.EFCC can do a better job in this.

40k chai