Paul Obi in Abuja
The African Youth Support Centre (AYSC) on Saturday tasked President Muhammadu Buhari to reconsider his position on the Peace Corp Bill which the president had earlier rejected.
According to AYSC Director, Ben Duntoye, the news was received as “a shock and disbelief that President Muhammadu Buhari has rejected assenting to the all-important and popular Nigerian Peace Corps Bill, after having been passed by both Chambers of the National Assembly with overwhelming majority vote and public support.
“Having served as two time President of the Nigerian Youth and former President of the Pan African Youth Union, which is the umbrella body for all African Youth, I make bold to assert that the need for positive engagement of the Nigerian Youth into patriotic, developmental and economically viable ventures through various platforms is most imperative and can never be over-emphasised, of which the Nigerian Peace Corps as proposed in the Bill remains one of the most practicable concepts ever conceived towards youth development and empowerment in Nigeria.”
He explained that “taking a critical look at the document shows that the Nigerian Peace Corps, as proposed, is designed to be a vehicle for mass mobilisation and engagement of the Nigerian Youth into regimental Community Development Services, Domesticated Para-Military Volunteerism for ad hoc interventions like National Clean Up Exercise, Population Census, Voters Registration and Elections, Maintenance of Peace and Order in Schools and Public Places and general Neighbourhood Services, which is an existing gap in our National Development efforts. Hence, talking about overlap of responsibility with any existing structure is totally out of place.
“Again, after we in the African Youth Support Centre had done a careful study of the Bill before the Public Hearings organised by the National Assembly, we discovered that the NPC is structured to be the most cost-effective agency of government in Nigeria that shall provide maximum services at most minimal cost to the national economy, with great potentials of attracting international funding and support like its counterparts around the globe.
“This is why it did not come to us as a surprise that out of the over 500 memos received by the National Assembly, all, except the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps and the Department of State Services, supported the passage of the Bill.
“The national outburst of jubilation across the country that followed the news of the passage of the Bill by both Chambers of the National Assembly was a clear and good testimony that the NPC Bill was both people oriented and commanded the general goodwill of well-meaning Nigerians and the masses.”
He added that “we still cannot comprehend the rationale behind the rejection of the Bill by President Muhammadu Buhari, since no technical or convincing reasons were offers except the vague and inexplicit assertion of economic constraints and security concerns, which to us are inadequate and surmountable.
“The NPC can be established without full salary, but sustainable subvention till the nation’s economy improves. Again with proper legislative backing, the Agency can on its own source financial support from the Organised Private Sector and Development Partners, and be useful in nation building, without stringent financial burden on government purse.
“That the same Mr. President and Federal Government that vowed to create one million jobs every year for the Nigerian Youth, that the same Government that sings like a song its commitment to massive and rapid youth empowerment, that the same government that could get millions of dollars to fight insurgency, could turn down such a progressive Bill is very irreconcilable.
“The government should have more courage to get funds to employ young people through the Peace Corps Bill. Failure to do this will justify the Political Conspiracy Theory against the person of Amb. Dickson Akoh by some political actors in the country.
“We call on Mr. President to quickly reconsider and retract his position on this matter, while we passionately appeal to the National Assembly to remain steadfast and committed to its resolve to better the lives of the Nigerian Youth and Masses by exploring all constitutional provisions to remedy this presidential rejection of the NPC Bill,†Duntoye stressed.
