The campaign promise of 5,000 to Nigerian youths by the All Progressive Congress, APC is an insult to Nigerian youths, the Commandant-General of the Peace Corps of Nigeria, Ambassador Dickson Akor has said.
Akor, who hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for jettisoning the idea, suggested an empowerment scheme for youths as well as legislative backing to ventures and ideas that will uplift the Nigerian youths.
The Peace Corps Bill, which Akor said is one of various ideas, will create 800,000 Nigerian youths with jobs when finally passed into law by the National Assembly.
Speaking on the bill which scaled through the second reading in the National Assembly last week, the commandant-general said the bill sponsored by Senate leader Ali Ndume when passed, seeks to empower, develop and provide alternative employment for the youths to facilitate peace, community services and other related matters.
Akor, who spoke with newsmen Saturday in Abuja on the bill, said the Senate has referred the bill to the committee on Interior for further legislative actions including organizing public hearing.
“The bill when finally passed into law has the capacity to provide alternative employment for Nigerian youths, facilitate peace, community services and nation building.
“The bill will provide positive engagement of the youths with a view to pre-occupy them in ventures that would make them economically productive to themselves and larger society.
“Currently in Nigeria, we are investing a lot of energies and resources to contain the menace of insurgency, militancy, kidnapping, vandalism, armed robbery, political thuggery, drug trafficking, prostitution, suicide bombing, cattle rustling and a host of other social vices.
“These vices no doubt constitute social challenges that have retrogressive effects and implications on the economic development and security of the nation.
“This bill seeks to give statutory functions to the existing peace corps of Nigeria which currently has over 98,000 members with well-structured network of branches in 34 states of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory and observing adequately all its stated functions, and achievement of no small measure for an NGO”.
The Nigerian Peace Corps was established 17 years ago alongside the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC).
