Much-anticipated Peace Corps bill arrives presidency for assent
- The presidency has received the much-anticipated Peace Corps Bill for presidential assent
- Senior special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on National Assembly matters Senator Ita Enang confirmed receipt of the bill and said the president was working on it
- The Peace Corps has the mandate to develop, empower and provide gainful employment to the youths
The senior special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on National Assembly matters, Senator Ita Enang, on Tuesday, January 2, confirmed that the much-anticipated Nigeria Peace Corps Bill has arrived the Presidency.
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Enang disclosed that the President was already working on the bill, adding that it was among other bills sent to the president last week.
He said: "The President is working on it, in accordance with our standard operating procedures."
The Peace Corps (Establishment) Bill 2017 would give legal backing to the existing Peace Corps of Nigeria under the leadership of Dickson Akoh, when signed into law.
The bill also allows intending members between ages 18 and 35, other than the existing members of the PCN, to undergo one month mandatory orientation training.
The head of the Peace Corps, as captured in the bill, shall be referred to as national commandant, to be appointed by the president upon recommendations of the supervising minister, for the period of 5 years which is renewable once.
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The Nigerian Peace Corps, upon establishment, will be domiciled with the federal ministry of youths and sports development, under the supervision honourable minister.
The core mandates of the Corps is to develop, empower and provide gainful employment to the youths, in order to facilitate peace, volunteerism, community services, neighbourhood watch, nation-building and other related matters.
The duties of officers are mainly at the educational institutions within the country, and to carry out other functions as provided in the bill.
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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that the Nigerian Senate passed the Nigerian Peace Corps bill for final reading to provide the body with 'a stronger framework'.
Senators said there was the need to use the outfit to better protect Nigerian security and therefore approved a bill for the establishment of the Nigerian Peace Corps as an agency under the ministry of Interior.
Chairman, committee on interior, Senator Bayero Nafada (APC, Gombe) explained the importance of the bill thus: “The organisation will be of great benefit to the Nigerian youths (because) in response to increasing complexity of the factors responsible for insecurity and the method by which peace and security is being undermined in Nigeria, there is need to develop comprehensive, multi-sectoral, multi-stakeholders and inclusive approaches in order to stem these threats.”
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Source: Naija.ng