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The Peace Corps of Nigeria, PCN, has reacted to the report that its bill before President Muhammadu Buhari for assent has been rejected.
Report had it that Buhari refused to append his signature to the NPC Establishment Bill, which was officially sent to him by the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sani Omolori, in the last week of December 2017 because there was no need for such an outfit under the Nigerian security architecture.
Reacting to the report, Patriot Millicent Umoru, Corps Public Relations Officer, said the presidency was yet to notify them of the alleged rejection.
She said, “The truth of the matter is that out of about nine Bills that were transmitted to the President together with that of the Nigerian Peace Corps, the President rejected three and returned same to the National Assembly (NASS), stating reasons why he rejected them. And of course, the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill was not part of the rejected ones.
“We are not unaware of the grand conspiracy by some security agencies against the Peace Corps, especially the Police, Department of State Services (DSS) and Civil Defence in their adversarial memos to the Presidency to thwart assent to the Bill. This conspiracy, which was also manifested in form of opposition during the Public Hearings conducted by both chambers of the NASS on the Bill, was roundly defeated by superior arguments of over 500 Oral and written Memoranda submitted during the Public Hearings in the NASS.
“The major plank of this conspiracy is that the functions of the Nigerian Peace Corps (NPC) Bill overlap that of the Nigerian Police and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), which is far from the truth. (Nigerians should watch out for our full page advertorial on this issue in The Nation, The Sun, Daily Trust and Tribune Newspapers on Monday, 19th February, 2018). The advertorial clearly articulates the statutory functions of the Police, Civil Defence and that of the Nigerian Peace Corps.
“Moreover, the Spokespersons of both chambers of the NASS, Senator Sabi Abdullahi (Senate) and Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas (House of Representatives) have clarified the issues as far as the law on this matter is concerned.
“For purpose of clarity, Peace Corps of Nigeria was duly incorporated by the Corporate Affairs Commission under the Companies and Allied Matters Act Cap 1990, Part C as Nigerian Leadership and Marshal Corps, but changed to Peace Corps of Nigeria in 2002 in accordance with the Companies and Allied Matters Act. So, its legality has never been called to question and even if the Bill is not assented to, that will not stop it from functioning as an entity. The Bill is essentially to give statutory backing to the Corps.
“Sadder still is that in spite of several Court judgments pronouncing Peace Corps as a legal entity, including recent verdicts by two different Federal High Courts judges, the antagonists of the Corps have continued to disregard these valid Orders by refusing to unseal the Peace Corps office. So much for the Rule of Law!”
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