PRESIDENT BUHARI MUST SIGN PEACE CORPS OF NIGERIA BILL IN THE INTEREST OF NIGERIAN YOUTHS!

ZION B-BC   NEWSLETTER.  

(Looking at Nigeria's Political System from a Godly Perspective).

A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja Nigeria. [VOL. 7. NO 264. 2nd September, 2018.] “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You   Free! (John.8:32).

PRESIDENT BUHARI MUST SIGN PEACE CORPS OF NIGERIA BILL IN THE INTEREST OF NIGERIAN YOUTHS!

The denial of assent to the Peace Corps of Nigeria (PCN), Bill by the President, has generated so much controversy within the polity in recent times that well-meaning Nigerians have began to wonder whether some diabolical interest groups were not actually benefiting in economic and financial terms, from the persistent imbroglio of internal security challenges which is consuming huge resources on personnel and logistics on daily basis!

Citizens of Nigeria, especially the downtrodden, do not need sooth-sayers to tell them that government's inadequate measures in dealing with insurgency, terrorism, and all manner of senseless killings - most especially in the past NINE years - had been due to lack of adequate manpower and authentic intelligence-gathering!

Who are the sponsors of the incalcitrant Boko Haram terrorism onslaught that is still degrading our collective psyche? Who provides arms, ammunitions, guns, machetes, suicide vests, logistics, hand grenades, land mine gadgets, smart phones, laptop computers, hide-out bunkers; who reveals top secret information on government troop’s movements, and supplies food and medicine, etc, to insurgents? They are the FIFTH COLUMNISTS - the mercenary contractors!

The entire personnel strength of NIGERIAN POLICE FORCE, plus those of the NIGERIAN ARMED FORCES, including the NIGERIAN SECURITY AND CIVIL DEFENCE CORPS, cannot muster TWO million able-bodied men and women to protect about 200 million Nigerians in spite of the regular annual recruitment drives to increase their population and yet some do-gooders thought that the addition of about THREE million PCN Para-military organisation would not make the required difference in the lopsided security architecture of the nation? They are wrong, very wrong to have misled President Muhammadu Buhari whom we know his antecedent as a lover of his people who should not be slaughtered like animals all over the land under his watch! He was always saddened and had wept bitterly each time he lost a single soul among his people - he would not have declined assent to the Bill knowing full well that intelligence gathering was the major antidote to crime prevention!

We are convinced that if the PEACE CORPS paramilitary personnel had received presidential approval long before 2018, those senseless killings would have been nipped in the bud through adequate logistics to counter the attackers!
And most unfortunately, the President was deceived to decline assent on the 25th January, 2018, to the consternation of the suffering masses while he hinged his reasons on
(1) "Scarcity of funds",
(2) "Duplication of duties ", and
(3) "Security concerns"!

Of all the reasons adduced, the most ridiculous was the issue of SECURITY CONCERNS as adduced and suggested to the President by the antagonists that the organisation could grow into an "uncontrollable monster" in the future!
This argument is laughable because the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has complimented other security agencies especially in the troubled States of the Federation with much camaraderie!

ARE POLITICIANS FAT SALARIES AND ALLOWANCES WORTHIER THAN ONE TALAKAWA'S LIFE?
THOSE WHO ARE OPPOSED TO THE PEACE CORPS BILL ARE THE SAME PEOPLE WHO INSISTED THAT NIGERIA SHOULD NOT BUILD REFINERIES BUT SHOULD CONTINUE IMPORTATION OF PETROLEUM PRODUCTS INDEFINITELY THROUGH ILLEGAL GOVERNMENT SUBSIDY REGULARLY PAID TO THEM!

Before the National Assembly (NASS), went on  annual recess in July, 2018, a whooping some of N348 billion naira was paid as outstanding SUBSIDY claims to 74 Oil Marketers, "to enable them update all outstanding liabilities and clear all debts, interest accrued and forex differential once and for all!" The subsidy according to government is classified under "inherited local debts!"

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CAN FUND NPC IF IT CAN FUND CONTROVERSIAL PETROLEUM SUBSIDIES!
Over 8,000 Nigerians were killed in the Middle Belt alone between January and July 2018! HOW MUCH IS ONE LIFE WORTH TO THE CHANGE GOVERNMENT? CAN THE ECONOMY THRIVE IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF WAR, CONFLICTS, INSECURITY, AND INCESSANT/SENSELESS KILLINGS?
How much money would be appropriated to the Nigerian Peace Corps Organisation that would DENT THE PURSE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO WARRANT THE TEMPORARY SET BACK OF THE WORTHY PARA-MILITARY ORGANISATION THAT IS POISED TO ADD VALUE TO NIGERIA'S SECURITY NETWORK? APART FROM GOVERNMENT SUBVENTIONS THIS TWO-DECADE OLD NGO COULD BE ALLOTED LARGE ACRES OF FARMLANDS FOR CULTIVATION DURING SPARE TIMES, IN THE 36 STATES OF THE FEDERATION TO AUGUMENT WHATEVER FUNDS WAS ALLOCATED TO THEM THROUGH AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE FOR BOTH CONSUMPTION AND COMMERCIAL PURPOSES!

A POLICY SOMERSAULT!
How can the President complain of FUNDS OR DUPLICATION OF DUTIES, when the Talakawas whom he vouched to protect and succour are being massacred everyday like sheep without shepherd? January 2018 began with unprovoked attacks on Benue State where about 80 innocent talakawas were snuffed out! The gory scenario moved to Taraba and Plateau States where greater number of casualties were recorded while that of Benue continued unabated! What kind of money would be too much to appropriate for the protection of the lives and properties of law-abiding citizens and the ELECTORATE in whose hands lie the sovereign power of the country according to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999?

How can the President allow sycophants to deceive him with that kind of hogwash when the three-prong mission statement of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), are: Eradication of Corruption, Re-invention of the Economy and War against Insecurity; ALL OF WHICH CANNOT BE ACHIEVED WITHOUT PEACE!

HOW MUCH WOULD IT TAKE TO FUND THE PEACE CORPS WHO HAD BEEN ON GROUND AS AN NGO SINCE 1998, AND FUNCTIONING IN ALMOST ALL STATES OF THE FEDERATION? CAN'T THE WASTAGES OF FUNDS IN GOVERNANCE BOTH AT EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATURE BE CURTAILED TO FUND THIS PARA-MILITARY ORGANISATION? CAN'T THE SECURITY VOTES OF THE PRESIDENT AND GOVERNORS BE REDUCED AND DIVERTED TO FUND THEM? WHAT ABOUT THE GOVERNORS OUTRAGEOUS "PENSION BENEFITS" NOT SUPPORTED BY THE CONSTITUTION?

From all indications, the enemies of the talakawas would prefer that budget appropriations for the Nigerian Peace Corps Organisation, be diverted to irrelevant projects for party patronage because the poor masses, who always bore the brunt of all the ills and mis-governance of successive administrations MUST NEVER benefit from adequate security which is the TOP-MOST priority among the basic necessities of life! However, we are of the opinion that the need to compliment activities and bridge the gaps between existing security agencies in the maintenance of law and order, intelligence gathering, neighbourhood watch, community services, is now more expedient than ever before especially when a gory scenario of avoidable bloodshed greeted the new year 2018!
It is an open secret that the entire population of all Nigeria's security agencies - which is less than TWO MILLION - had not and cannot fulfil their collective mandate to maintain law and order, most especially, internal security matters posed by Boko Haram and now, the kidnappers and herdsmen killers, so what is the HULLABALLOO about?

THE PALIAMENTARIANS IMPUT!
Before the year November 2016, when the Bill for an Act to Establish Nigerian Peace Corps first got the attention of the legislators of the House of Representative and later the Senate, PCN had existed as an NGO and between December 2016 and July 2017, (in spite of Police declaration that the Peace Corps was an illegal outfit), the Bill received accelerated attention of the Committees of both Chambers and in December, 2017, it was passed by both chambers and forwarded to the President for the required assent of legal backing, as a government agency! The entire nation was assured by Senator Ita Enang, Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly matters that the Bill was a done deal only for the President to decline assent on 27th February 2018, and members of the House of Representatives also rejected the attempt to override the President's veto in spite of vehement protests by legislators who opined that the Bill had popular support!
PCN was registered as a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), in 1998, before the new attempt at democratic governance in the following year with the sole aim of complimenting the existing security of the nation through massive INTELLIGENCE GATHERING apart from other mandatory duties as follows: Empower youths in developing positive mindset in patriotism, creating genuine avenues for gainful employment for the youths, training their minds to embrace and facilitate peace in the communities,  volunteerism attitude and community services, nation building, mediation and conflicts resolution, neighbourhood watch, capacity- building of the youths in areas of creativity, entrepreneurship, civic duties awareness, skills acquisition, involvement in crowd-control,  security services as orderlies to traditional leaders, judicial officers, politicians and parliamentarians, to mention a few!
All of the preceding functions cannot be adequately covered by existing security agencies who are already over-burdened!

National Commandant Dr Dickson Akoh, who like other Nigerian patriots, rejected the set-back which he described as a CONSPIRACY against the YOUTHS whom the organisation sought to empower, also accused the Police of "bad blood and meddlesomeness" but promised to seek other legal options to see to the passage of the Bill!

THE BRITISH/GERMAN GOVERNMENTS FINANCIAL INTERVENTION!
Providence has finally brought respite to the Peace Corps of Nigeria Bill through British Prime Minister's and the German Chancellor's State visits to Nigeria on Wednesday 29th and Friday 31st August, 2018, respectively through bi-lateral agreements of financial support - especially earmarked for EMPLOYMENT FOR ABLE-BODIED YOUTHS! Government should take immediate advantage of these generous offers and also appropriate some part of the recovered Abacha Loots to fund the new organisation since funding was one of the reasons for its rejection in first instance!

There could be no better time than now for the President to hearken to popular opinion that his assent would provide great succour to the youths in view of the rate of unemployment, out of school adolescents, drug addiction and insecurity of lives and property in the country! 

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Prov 22:6).

Please look forward to more divine revelation in the next edition of Zion B-BC Newsletter as you share this with friends and remain blessed in the Lord. [For weekly access, to this newsletter, log on to:  facebook.com/zionfaithbible.believingchurch or http://www.zfbbc1.blogspot.com, https://www.google.com/+zionfaithbiblebelievingchurch.

If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer: Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen. If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations.

I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor. 08130669886, 08098194390.  08080243066. g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.