Perhaps the easiest way of creating a siege mentality within the mind of a leader is to criticise everything he or she does whether good or bad. This is analogous to the situation that is developing between President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) and the National Assembly (NASS). Bearing in mind that both are controlled by the same political party, their ongoing battles are indicative of a lack of leadership or guiding philosophy within the All Progressives Congress (APC). There is little doubt that PMB has not surrounded himself with the best personnel, or that the frenzied passion which greeted his election has faded, but the last thing anyone would have expected is that his problems would come from the NASS.
In their ongoing battle the 2018 budget is yet to be passed, critical appointees are yet to be confirmed, the electoral act is being tinkered with, and generally the nation is more consumed by revelations of corrupt practices than any earth-shaking legislation. The NASS has long since lost credibility amongst the populace. Revelations of their immoral allowances, political shenanigans and corruption in oversight functions have left their reputation in tatters. There is simply no reason to believe that anything they do is in the public interest. On November 24th 2016 they passed a Bill approving the establishment of the Nigerian Peace Corps as an agency under the Ministry of Interior.
The National Peace Corps (NPC) Establishment Bill was sent to the Presidency in the last week of December 2017 and the 30-day window under which the President should assent to a Bill lapsed on 31st January. By implication the Bill has been thrown out and the only option is for the NASS to veto the Presidents rejection with a two thirds majority of its members. There is absolutely no logical reason why PMB should assent to the Bill and he should be commended for rejecting it.
Unfortunately the only reason he gave for the refusal was scarce government resources. There are several others. Firstly the whole matter reeks of insincerity bordering on fraud. The existing Peace Corps was formalised in 1998 when it was registered by one of its founders. There is no reason to assume that this is the same organisation that was approved by the NASS in 2017 to be part of the Ministry of Interior. The ineloquent self-styled “National Commandant” of the Peace Corps has been accused of obtaining from young job seekers under false pretences. Many of them parted with sums as high as fifty-thousand Naira to purchase uniforms and other paraphernalia. Even the fact that the organisation is for youths is not true. Anyone who has seen or heard their “National Commandant” speak will know that he is by no means a youth, as indeed are none of their other leaders! Although the Corps is supposedly modelled after a similar named volunteer outfit in the United States of America called the National Peace Corps Association, and they registered as a non-governmental organisation, the only logical reason why they are now fighting to be taken over by government is to justify the sums the obtained from applicants who were guaranteed secure employment.
In advanced nations groups such as the Peace Corps operate without transmuting into government outfits, and there is really no reason the situation should be different in Nigeria. There is simply no need for it. It would just be another set of individuals behaving with the legendary indiscipline of uniformed Nigerians. As far as the objectives of the Peace Corps are concerned it has been severally pointed out that they duplicate the functions of seven existing organisations including the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps. In a quite silly attempt to justify the need for the Peace Corps its supporters defined their activities as those which would not overlap with existing agencies such as national clean up exercise, population census, voters registration, elections, maintenance of peace and order in schools and public places and general neighbourhood services as their activities.
How on earth any of these things could be said not to be already catered for is beyond imagination. It is also fallacious to present the Peace Corps as a vehicle for mass mobilisation and engagement of youths into regimental community development and ad-hoc interventions. There is both a Ministry of Youth and a National Orientation Agency (NOA). It is true that the current Minister of Information has failed woefully in supervising and directing the NOA to be relevant, preferring instead to make himself an object of ridicule as a hardly believable government spokesperson.
Paradoxically, in spite of not having presidential assent, the Peace Corps cannot be disbanded. Its Trustees have been duly registered under the Companies and Allied Matters Act, and there are two judgements of the Federal High Court restraining the police from harassing or intimidating members of the organisation. The police have, as is their habit, refused to obey court orders to quit the headquarters of the Corps and pay N12.5 million in compensation so the stalemate continues.
Quite frankly as far as the NASS is concerned they have lost the moral right to pontificate over the matter. Renowned for acting only in their own interests, it has been alleged (and frankly there is little reason to disbelieve it) that each of them was given a certain number of slots in the unapproved set up. It’s infantile to defend the Peace Corps simply on the basis that it will provide unproductive employment. The simple truth is that although the 2018 budget hasn’t been passed, there is no provision for financing a Corps whose annual salary is projected to be approximately N50 Billion. There is however one solution. It has been suggested that if Senators are so enamoured with the Corps, then they could offset the expected monthly wage bill by forgoing their illegal allowances of N13.5 Million a month, otherwise PMB was right there is no money.
