& Emman Ovuakporie
As the Nigerian Peace Corps battles the Nigeria
Police to vacate its national secretariat, the
legality of the organisation might have run into
trouble as the President has not assented to its
establishment bill, which was transmitted to
him last year.
Saturday Vanguard learnt from competent
sources that President Muhammadu Buhari,
apparently bowing to security advice, has not
appended his signature to the NPC
Establishment Bill, which was officially sent to
him by the Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr.
Sani Omolori, in the last week of December
2017.
Findings by Saturday Vanguard indicate that
the 30-day window under, which the president
should sign a bill duly transmitted to him
elapsed on January 31, 2018, leaving the
National Assembly with the only option of
mobilising two thirds of its members to veto
the president’s rejection of the bill.
By implication, the Presidency has thrown out
the NPC bill and the piece of legislation okayed
by the two chambers of the NASS can
therefore not be cited as a law in Nigeria and
the outfit does not have the legal backbone to
continue to operate as a legal entity unless the
NASS mobilises two thirds of its members to
override the president.
A top Presidency official conversant with the
matter, confirmed to our correspondent last
night that the President could not have
assented to the NPC bill because there was no
need for such an outfit under the Nigerian
security architecture.
The source said, “By implication the bill has
been rejected by Mr. President since he did not
sign it into law within the stipulated 30 working
days.
“By law, the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill will not
fly in Nigeria as the President has not
appended his signature to it within the period
prescribed by law,” the official explained.
Asked what could be done given the fact that
the courts had ruled that the embattled security
outfit had the right to operate as a voluntary
organisation in Nigeria, the presidency official
said that the organisation must first derive its
legality from the law of Nigeria before
functioning as an entity of the law.
But reacting to the development, the
Spokesman for the House of Representatives,
Abdulrazaq Namdas, said the members would
wait patiently for President Muhammadu Buhari
to write the NASS on why he would not append
his signature to the bill before deciding on
what next step.
Namdas told one of our correspondents that
the lawmakers were aware that the president
was in the habit of giving reasons whenever he
rejects a bill sent to him by the NASS.
“But if we wait up to a certain time and the
usual excuses we expect of him does not come
then the House may take a further action to
override the president.
“If you remember just last week he returned
three bills stating the reasons he refused to
sign them into law,” Namdas said.
It will be recalled that the NPC has been
having a running battle with the Nigeria Police
since it came out as a security outfit but not
yet licensed by the Federal Government,
culminating in the sealing of its national
headquarters in Jabi and the arrest and
detention of its leaders by the NPF.
The running battle between the NPC and the
NPF has also resulted in a lingering legal tussle
between the two groups, with the court asking
the police to pay the NPC N12.5 million as
compensation, an order the police are yet to
comply with.
File: Peace-Corps
The police have also refused to quit the
headquarters of the NPC despite repeated court
orders.
While the Senate passed the bill on November
25, 2016, a conference committee of both
chambers was inaugurated on December 8,
2016, to harmonise the bill.
The House of Representatives laid and adopted
its conference report on January 19, 2017,
while the Senate adopted its report on July 25,
2017.
But on February 17, 2017 the police stormed
the National Office of the NPC and arrested the
head of the organisation, Dickson Akoh, and
about 49 other members.
The police accused Mr. Akoh of using the
Peace Corps, which was registered as a non-
governmental organisation, but operating as a
para-military agency, to fleece innocent young
job seekers.
Mr. Akoh has however denied all the
allegations and has since been granted bail by
the court.
Meanwhile, CHAIRMAN, Senate Committee on
Media and Public Affairs, Senator Sabi
Abdullahi, APC, Niger North has said that the
Senate will do what the Constitution specifies
in case Mr. President refuses to assent the
Peace Corps Bill.
He said that the constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria provides for what should be
done if a bill passed by the National Assembly,
transmuted to the President for assent did not
receive the assent of the President.
“For me personally I see it as a very good
thing; it is not new to Nigeria but it is
happening in many other countries so that was
why in the first instance, the National Assembly
supported it.
