The senate has again passed the Peace Corps bill, five years after it was rejected by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Senator Ali Ndume, who sponsored the bill, sought the legal backing to establish the Peace Corps as a government parastatal and allow its members to be absorbed into the proposed organisation at commencement.
It would be recalled that the bill was passed by the 8th Senate in late 2017 but President Muhammadu Buhari declined assent to the legislation in February 2018, citing security concerns as one of the reasons for his decision.
The President also cited paucity of funds and duplication of duties of existing security agencies as his reasons for rejecting the bill.
Concerned by the President’s refusal to assent to the bill, Sen. Ndume reintroduced the bill to the 9th Senate on December 17, 2019.
Senator Ndume had during the second reading of the bill in December 2020, informed other lawmakers that the core mandate of the corps is to develop, empower, and provide gainful employment for the youth to facilitate peace, volunteerism, community services, neighbourhood watch and nation-building.
The lawmaker also said all the issues raised by Mr Buhari for withholding assent to the bill in the 8th Senate had been addressed in the new bill.
The passage of the bill was sequel to the consideration of a report of the Senate Committee on Interior.
The committee was asked to conduct public hearings and other legislative works on the bill.
Presenting the report, the committee chairman, Sadiq Umar, echoed the objectives of the bill.
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He said the panel received hundreds of memoranda and many stakeholders supported the bill.
He added that the legislation will be “of great benefit to Nigeria” and urged his colleagues to support the bill.
In a committee of the whole, the Senate considered all 40 clauses of the bill and passed it afterwards.
As it is the tradition of the National Assembly, the House of Representatives is expected to concur with the Senate on the legislation after which it will be transmitted to the president for assent.
Many Nigerians who believed the corps will partly address the nation’s unemployment and insecurity crisis, have been anxiously waiting for its passage into law.