Again, Reps approve Peace Corps establishment bill
House of Representatives, Tuesday, passed a bill to establish the Nigeria Peace Corps.
The Corps is to essentially facilitate peace and the security of local communities and neighbourhoods.
It will be recalled that both chambers of the National Assembly, the House and the Senate had in 2017, passed the Nigerian Peace Corps Establishment Bill 2016.
But President Muhammad Buhari withheld his assent to the Bill, saying there was no money for such establishment and there was a duplication of functions of conventional security agencies
In July 2019, the Bill was reintroduced and re-gazetted as HB. 17.
It was sponsored by the Chief Whip, Hon. Tahir Monguno from Borno State.
In his lead debate, Mongunu cited Order 12, Rule 16 of the Standing Order of the House, which prescribed that, a 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”.
Consequently, the House passed the bill after considering and adopting the report.
In a related development, the House also passed a Bill for an Act to Repeal the National Commission for Refugees Act, Cap. N21 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and Enact the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons Act for the Management, Rehabilitation Return, Reintegration and Resettlement of Refugees, Migrants and Victims of Displacement.
Also passed through second reading was a Bill for an Act to Amend the Federal Polytechnics Act, Cap. F17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to accommodate the newly Established Federal Polytechnics sponsored by Hon. Aminu Suleiman from Kano State.
In the same vein, the House also reconsidered the Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology Bill, 2022(HB. 444) and recommited Specialized National Dermatology Hospital Bill, 2022 and the National Commission for Colleges of Education Bill, 2022 for reconsideration.
Those were outstanding bills from the 8th Assembly.
