Some groups of people have reportedly been parading themselves as officers of Peace Corps of Nigeria without the approval of the president.
Sponsor of the Peace Corps of Nigeria Bill, Ali Ndume, has condemned the illegal establishment and operation of corps by some persons he did not name.
He said in the press statement on Thursday that some groups have been parading themselves as officers of Corps without the approval of the president.
The Peace Corps Bill was sponsored by Mr Ndume and it has been passed by the National Assembly. The bill has been forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari for his approval.
The bill seeks to give legal backing to the establishment of the Peace Corps as a government parastatal and allow its members to be absorbed into the proposed organisation at commencement.
Mr Ndume, who represents Borno South, said any group laying claim to the ownership and parading themselves as officers of the Corps without the president's approval is doing so illegally.
"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.
"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," he said.
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Mr Ndume also said the Corps is under the leadership of Dickson Akoh as the national commandant.
"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," he noted.
"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 Organisation that is sought to give statutory backing after Mr President's assent to the Bill."
He also said when the bill has been finally approved, the leader of the corps will be addressed as national commandant.
"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."
