The Peace Corps bill.... How it affects you!

The Senate has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to reconsider his decision of withholding assent on the bill to establish Peace Corps of Nigeria.

The Upper House made the appeal during plenary on Wednesday after adopting a Point of Order raised by Senator Dino Melaye on the floor of the Senator house in Nigeria

Melaye, who represents Kogi West Senatorial district, cited Order 43 of the Senate Rules while drawing the attention of the lawmakers to the issue of the Peace Corps.

The Senate consequently asked the President to review his stance on the bill, saying they would override it with the support of the Nigerian youths.

The establishment of the Peace Corps as a government paramilitary agency has suffered a number of setbacks in the recent times, prompting the intervention of the judiciary.

Some policemen had stormed its headquarters in Abuja, arresting some officials of the agency found on the premises.

On November 9, 2017, Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court in Abuja, however, awarded N12.5million fine against the police for the unlawful invasion of the Peace Corps’ headquarters.

Meanwhile, the National Commandant of Peace Corps Mr Dickson Akoh had filed an application, seeking the unsealing and vacation of the National Headquarters of the agency by the police and other security agencies, which had laid siege and barricaded the premises.

Ruling on the application in January 2018, Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the police to immediately unseal the office of the Peace Corps.

He had also ordered the police and other security agencies laying siege at the premises to vacate immediately, as well as hand over possession of the office to the organisation.

Amid high expectations that the President would give a nod to the bill passed by the National Assembly, President Buhari withheld assent to the bill on Tuesday last week.

In a letter addressed to the lawmakers, he cited security concerns and financial burden of funding the organisation by the government as his reasons for rejecting the Nigerian Peace Corps (Establishment) Bill.

Source:channels