The Senate in plenary on Tuesday adopted the report of the Conference Committee set up by the two chambers to harmonise the Bill for an Act to establish the Nigeria Peace Corps.
The Committee completed its assignment last Wednesday, which led to the report being laid and adopted by the House of Representatives.
The Harmonised Report of the Committee adopted by the Red Chamber showed that the panel adopted the version of the Bill as passed by the House of Representatives.
Highlight of the adopted report is on clause 38 (1) of the version passed by the Senate which is in conflict with the version passed by the House of Representatives as contained under clause 38 (1).
Whereas the Senate’s version seeks dissolution of the existing Peace Corps of Nigeria and the National Unity and Peace Corps, the House of Representatives version of the Bill solely recommends the dissolution of the existing Peace Corps of Nigeria to be transformed into the Nigerian Peace Corps when assented to by President Buhari.
The Conference report clarified that for a Bill to become an Act of Parliament in Nigeria, it must pass through the two Chambers of the National Assembly, a criteria which the National Unity and Peace Corps Bill could not attain because its Bill was never debated unlike that of the Peace Corps of Nigeria debated and passed by the two chambers.
However, the Bill for an Act to establish the Nigeria Peace Corps expressly provided under clause 38 (8) a window of opportunity for individuals, groups, associations or bodies that show or demonstrate interest to be absorbed as members of the Corps subject to the mandatory basic training and orientation program of the Corps as may be prescribed from time to time when the Bill is signed into law.
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