The House of Representatives, on Wednesday, unanimously passed a resolution to recommit the Nigerian Peace Corps (Establishment) Bill to the Committee of the Whole, for passage.
The Nigerian Peace Corps Bill, which was recently re-gazetted as HB. 17 was re-introduced and sponsored by the Chief Whip, Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno).
The reintroduced Bill passed First Reading in the House of Representatives on July 3, 2019.
Leading a debate on the motion, Monguno said the move to reconsider the Bill in the Committee of the Whole was in pursuant to Order 12, Rule 16 of the Standing Order of the House.
According to the Rule, “Bill passed by the previous Assembly, upon being re-gazetted or clean copies circulated, be reconsidered in the Committee of the Whole without being commenced de-novo”.
Recall that the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill, which was overwhelmingly passed by the two Chambers of the 8th National Assembly, was declined assent by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The bill aims to give statutory backing to the existing Peace Corps of Nigeria, with a core mandate to “develop, empower and provide gainful employment for the youths, facilitate peace, volunteerism, community services, neighbourhood watch and nation-building.”
Reacting to the re-introduction of the Bill, National Commandant, Peace Corps of Nigeria, Dr Dickson Akoh, on behalf of the Organisation, expressed his gratitude to Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila and the entire members of the House of Representatives, for the decision to revisit the Bill.
He urged members of the organisation to be patient and remain steadfast, as the bill will see the light of the day.
