House of Representatives members condemn Buhari's rejection of Peace Corps bill

House of Representatives members condemn Buhari's rejection of Peace Corps bill

- A member of the House of Representatives has vowed to lead the campaign against the rejection of the Peace Corps Nigeria bill by the president

- The lawmaker from Delta state said the establishment of the corps should be seen as a main objective for youth empowerment

- The campaign by the lawmaker was also supported by his colleague from Dapchi in Yobe state

Some members of the House of the House of Representatives have reacted to Tuesday, February 27, rejection of the Peace Corps of Nigeria's bill by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The lawmakers said the decision of the president would further aggravate the security challenges witnessed in the country.

In his reaction to the president's rejection, a lawmaker from Delta state, Nicholas Ossai, said the Peace Corps of Nigeria should be seen as a main objective for youth empowerment.

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While promising to x-ray President Buhari's reason for rejecting the bill, Ossai said: "If the reasons given by Mr president are not germane, I will personally lead a lobbying process to make sure the House vetos him. Between now and tomorrow (Wednesday) be rest assured that we’ll come out with our opinion.

Similarly, Goni Bukar Lawan representing Bursari/Gaida/Yunusari federal constituency of Yobe state, said withholding assent was not an end to a bill under democratic leadership.

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Lawan, a member of the APC, who hails from Dapchi, said the abduction of over 100 schoolgrils from a school in his area would have been averted if there was presence of internal security in the school premises.

He said the bill would give youths mandate to man schools across the country for intelligence gathering and neighbourhood watch, which does not overlap with any existing security agency.

Legit.ng earlier reported that President Buhari had in a letter to the House rejected the PCN bill.

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The president in his letter said he declined assent on the bill due to security concerns and the financial burden of funding the organisation.

He said some of the responsibilities stated for the organisation are already enshrined in bills establishing other security agencies.

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Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Nnenna Ibeh avatar

Nnenna Ibeh Nnenna Ibeh is a journalist with over 10 years of experience with various media organisations including Premium Times. Being on the front burner of reporting politics and the different dimensions of governance, she is also passionate about girls' education and women's and children's health. With degrees in Journalism, Peace Studies & Conflict Res., and Dev. Studies, Nnenna has worked in the dev. sector as a communications officer for the Centre for Democracy and Dev. email: ibehnnenna@gmail.com