|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
A bill to establish the Nigerian Peace Corps, on Tuesday suffered setback in the Senate.
This followed the presentation of the report of the Conference Committee of the Senate and the House of Representatives, chaired by Bayero Nafada.
The Senate had since last year passed the bill giving legal backing to the Peace Corps and thereafter transmitted it to the House of Representatives for concurrence.
In their separate submissions, James Manager (PDP, Delta South) and Minority Leader, Godswil Akpabio, argued against the establishment of the Corps.
They cited opposition by security agencies as well as litigations.
In his submission, Akpabio said anybody that wants to empower the youth could do so through a foundation, not necessarily through an Act of the National Assembly.
He said the Corps had been operating illegally with some of them being addressed as ‘General’, ‘Field Marshal’ and ‘Commander General’
But Senators John Enoh, (PDP-Cross River) and Binta Garba Masi, (APC-Adamawa) urged support for the bill, noting that it would help tackle problem of unemployment and that the Senate should not reverse itself having first passed the bill. Masi queried why his colleagues were differing from what they had supported before.
At this point, Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, warned that the Senate should not stop its process in view of the court case to avoid a precedence that will motivate anybody to approach the court anytime a bill is in the works in the Senate.
In his remarks, Senate President Bukola Saraki proposed that the process be stepped down to review issues raised and relate with the House of Representatives on the matter.
This proposal received positive response when a voice vote was taken and the Senate, therefore, referred the matter to its committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters and report back within two weeks.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
