Peace Corps: Akoh denies bribing Nigerian senators to pass bill

- An online newspaper recently ran a report about the Peace Corps of Nigeria (PCN) bill passed by the Nigerian Senate

- The report had alleged that monies exchanged hands for the bill to go through

- The National Commandant of the PCN has denied the claims

The National Commandant of the Peace Corps of Nigeria (PCN), Ambassador Dickson Akoh has debunked a media report that alleged the PCN bribed members of the National Assembly to pass its bill.

The report had alleged that the PCN bribed senators with cash and job slots to pass the bill.

In a statement issued to Legit.ng on Saturday, July 29, Akoh described the story as “a campaign of calumny, targeted at distracting the presidency from assenting to the bill.”

He called on Nigerians to disregard the report, adding that it has no element of truth but the figment of the writer's imagination.

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Part of the statement read: “My attention was drawn to the article on social media that cast the PCN in a contemptuous light, but on a second thought, they may be referring to a rival organization, National Unity And Peace Corps led by one Mr. Chinedu Nneji, whose was nipped in the bud by the National Assembly.

“I wish to posit that it is most unfortunate that it has become a trade in stock for some individuals or groups, nowadays, to pre-occupy themselves with character assassination and distortion of obvious facts and figures against this noble objective.

“We recall too that the two chambers of the National Assembly, as part of the legislative processes, organized public hearings in their respective chambers in respect of NPC bill.

“Over 570 Memoranda were received and 300 oral submissions made during the public hearings. In all of these, it was only 4 submissions and presentations that were against the passage of the bill. Public hearing is one of the most important part of Bill making processes.

“Does it mean Peace Corps bribed its way into the hearts of all individuals and institutions, including federal government ministries/agencies, traditional and religious institutions that all advocated for the passage of the bill?

“Certainly, NPC is on the part to greatness. The question now begging for answers from every rational mind is that can any youth based organization have the financial capacity or wherewithal to bribe a single senator or House of Representatives member, how much more of the entire National Assembly members and its leadership; some of whom where former governors, ministers, business moguls, retired generals, e.t.c.

“After the passage of the bill, we do expect deliberate and calculated campaign of calumny by those who want to truncate it being assented to by the Mr President.”

Akoh was however optimistic that like any other antics and tactics in the past, to frustrate the establishment of the Corps, the ongoing smear campaign against the organisation would still fail, adding that, what God has ordained, mere mortals could only fight but in vain.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Senate has clarified the ambiguity emanating from the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill passed on Tuesday, July 25.

Reacting to the controversies surrounding the bill, the Senate Spokesman, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said the bill passed into law by the National Assembly was to give legal backing to the existing Peace Corps of Nigeria, under Akoh.

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Source: Legit.ng