The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Peace Corps Bill.

  • Reps fail to veto Buhari on Peace Corps’ Bill

    MAJORITY members of the  House of Representatives yesterday thwarted attempt to override the refusal of President  Muhammadu Buhari to assent to a bill setting up the Nigerian Peace Corps.

    Buhari refused to sign into law the bill for an Act to establish the Nigerian Peace Corps to develop, empower and provide gainful employment for the youth, facilitate peace, volunteerism, community service, neigbourhood watch and nation-building.

    The President cited issues of funding and the responsibilities of the Corps.

    Chairman, House Committee on Rules and Business Emmanuel Orker-Jev (APC, Benue), who sponsored a bill to override the President’s veto, said the two reasons cited by President Buhari for withholding his assent were not enough.

    Saying that the reasons were not germane, Orker-Jev said: “Apart from the jobs that would be created through the establishment of Peace Corps, it will complement the activities of other security agencies like Police and Civil Defence to maintain law and order in the country”.

    Opposing the motion, Majority Whip Ado Doguwa noted that  such paramilitary organisation would expose a lot of youths to weapons, considering the level of crimes and criminality in the country owing to unemployment.

    According to him, some Nigerians alleged that the N50,000 collected from each of the applicants were to settle members of the National Assembly, as such, the bill should be defeated.

    The bill was defeated after it was put to a voice vote by Speaker Yakubu Dogara.

    Musa Adar (APC, Sokoto) questioned the integrity of the Peace Corps bill.

     

  • Senators may override Buhari on Peace Corps Bill

    Senators may override Buhari on Peace Corps Bill

    Senate may override President Muhammadu Buhari’s veto of the Peace Corps Establishment Bill, it was learnt yesterday

    The two chambers of the National Assembly passed the Bill into law in 2017.

    It was transmitted to the President for assent.

    Buhari wrote to the Senate and the House of Representatives last week to inform lawmakers that he was withholding assent to the Bill.

    The President cited security concerns and lack of funds as part of the reasons why he would not sign the Bill.

    Senator Dino Melaye raised a point of order yesterday to insist President Buhari should either reconsider his position on the Bill or face a possible override by the National Assembly.

     

  • Buhari withholds assent on Peace Corps Bill

    Buhari withholds assent on Peace Corps Bill

    President Muhammadu Buhari has declined assent to the Bill establishing the Peace Corps of Nigeria.

    In a letter dated January 25, 2018 and addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, the President gave reasons for declining assent on the bill.

    The letter titled: Presidential decision to decline assent to Nigeria Peace Corps (Establishment) Bill, 2017 recently passed by the National Assembly reads in part:

    “Pursuant to Section 58(4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 ( as amended), I hereby convey to the House of Representatives, my decision, on 25th January,2018 to decline Presidential Assent to the Nigerian Peace Corps (Establishment) Bill 2017 recently passed by the National Assembly.

    Read Also: Police to reopen Peace Corps building

    “Specifically, reasons for the decision to decline assent to this Bill include amongst others:

    ” Security concerns regarding the proposed Nigerian Peace Corps being authorized to undertake activities currently being performed by extant security and law enforcement agencies and;

    “Financial implications of funding the establishment and operations of the proposed Nigerian Peace Corps, given the scarce financial resources may pose serious challenge to the government.“

  • Support Peace Corps Bill, youths appeal to Akpabio, Manager

    Youths in the South-South geo-political zone have appealed to senators in the zone to desist from being the vanguards of those opposing the passage of the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill now undergoing scrutiny in the National Assembly.

    The youths said they are particularly worried that the two most prominent senators from the zone, Sen. James Manager and the Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, were the strongest voices to scuttle the bill, which was almost sailing through in the upper chambers of the National Assembly.

    A socio-political group in the zone, Effective Action for Security and Peace in Nigeria (EASPIN), in a statement issued in Port-Harcourt, River State and signed by their spokesman, Mr. Otobo Ibinabo, expressed strong disappointment at contributions on the floor of the Senate against the Peace Corps Bill by Senators Manager and Akpabio, whom they expected to have supported the debate on the bill.

     

  • Senate dumps Peace Corps bill

    Senate dumps Peace Corps bill

    The Senate on Tuesday dumped the passage of the Peace Corps Bill.

    It cited fraud, irregularities in the recruitment process and pending court case as reasons for stepping down the passage of the bill.

    The bill is seeking the establishment of the Peace Corps of Nigeria.

    Details later.