Following Tuesday’s passage of the harmonised version of the National Peace Corps Bill by the Senate, National Commandant of the National Unity and Peace Corps of Nigeria, Dr Chinedu Nneji said the corps has concluded plans to establish mediation centres across the country, as opposed to building detention facilities.
Speaking with Vanguard, Thursday in Abuja, Dr Nneji also expressed the readiness of the corps to swing into action as soon as the lawmakers’ decision receives presidential assent. He said as peace officers, the organization would deploy international fence-mending mechanisms in reaching out to aggrieved groups in the country, especially the Biafran agitators and the coalition of northern youths who recently issued a ‘quit notice’ to Igbos living in the north. “We are assuring Nigerians that as soon as the assent is given, we will employ all diplomatic avenues of dialogue and mediation with the various interest groups to ensure lasting peace in the country. Most of our officers are Chattered Mediators and have all it takes to achieve this. We commend the Nigerian army and other security agencies for their effort in addressing insecurity in the country. On our part, we will work with them to achieve peace rather than detention centres, the Corps would establish mediation centres across the country with a view to nipping in the bud low-level conflicts instead of allowing same to degenerate to a national calamity,” he said. The National Assembly on Tuesday passed the harmonisation bill of the National Peace Corps NPC, merging the National Unity and Peace Corps of Nigeria and Peace Corps of Nigeria into one body.
Source: vanguardngr.com
