Senate Settles Peace Corps Ownership Dispute, Affirms Akoh Owner

Isuma Mark

The Senate has settled the ownership dispute that has trailed the Peace Corps of Nigeria, by affirming that the National Commandant of the Corps, Dickson Akoh, is the owner of the bill passed by both houses of the National Assembly.

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have debated and harmonised the bill, which is awaiting presidential assent after it was transmitted to President Muhammadu Buhari in April.

The Senate made the affirmation in a statement signed by Senator Ali Ndume in his capacity as the sponsor.

The bill seeks for an Act to establish the Nigerian Peace Corps.

The statement said there was the need to clarify the ownership of the Corps following a claim by one Mustapha that he’s the proprietor.

The statement read in part, “The attention of the leadership of the Senate and indeed the National Assembly has been drawn to different groups laying claims to the Bill for an Act to establish the Nigerian Peace Corps which was harmonised and adopted by the two Chambers of the National Assembly.

“The Bill as passed by the two Chambers of the National Assembly is solely sponsored by the current Peace Corps of Nigeria under the headship of Prof. Dickson Akoh as the National Commandant.

“Since the Bill was transmitted to Mr President for his assent by the Clerk of the National Assembly on the 12th April, 2023, the Senate has been inundated with several entreaties as to the status of the Bill, especially the Organization that is sought to give statutory backing after Mr President’s assent to the Bill,” the Senate said.

It added that “To put the record straight, Part VIII of the Bill titled “Dissolution of the existing Peace Corps of Nigeria and Savings” explicitly provides that at the commencement of the Act that the existing Peace Corps of Nigeria will be dissolved and transmuted to the Nigerian Peace Corps. The import of this, therefore, is that the Bill only sought to give statutory backing to the existing Peace Corps of Nigeria under the leadership of Prof. Dickson Akoh.

“Also, on the issue of the nomenclature of the headship of the proposed Nigerian Peace Corps, the title is National Commandant as contained in Part III, Section 11(1) of the Bill as passed and not Commandant General as widely been speculated.

“However, the Bill made adequate provision in Section 38 (8) was made to accommodate individuals, groups, associations or bodies that have shown or demonstrated interest to be absorbed as members of the Corps shall be absorbed subject to the mandatory basic training and orientation programme of the Corps as prescribed on the commencement of this Act.

“It is important to say that effect cannot be given to this Bill until the same is assented into Law by Mr President.

“Therefore, any group laying claim and parading itself as Nigerian Peace Corps for now is illegal,” the upper house declared.