We Didn’t Give Bribe For Passage Of Nigerian Peace Corps Bill – Commandant
Commandant, Nigerian Peace Corps, Dickson Akoh, has dismissed a media report that he bribed members of the National Assembly to get the organisation’s bill passed.
Akoh, who said no youth-based organisation had money to bribe members of the national legislature, which he noted, comprised former governors, business men of national and international repute and ex-ministers.
He therefore described the bribery allegation as “a campaign of calumny aimed at distracting the Presidency from giving assent to the bill”.
A report had alleged that Mr Akor bribed the National Assembly to get the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill passed.
But reacting to it in a statement, Sunday, in Abuja, the Nigerian Peace Corps boss said the allegation was unfortunate, regretting that such act had become “a trade in stock for some individuals or groups, nowadays.”
His statement read thus: “My attention was drawn to the article on social media that cast the PCN in a contemptuous light, but on a second thought, they may be referring to a rival organisation, National Unity And Peace Corps led by one Mr. Chinedu Nneji, whose Bill was nipped in the bud by the national assembly,” the statement by Akoh read.
“From the foregoing, I wish to posit that it is most unfortunate that it has become a trade in stock for some individuals or groups, nowadays, to pre-occupy themselves with character assassination and distortion of obvious facts and figures against this noble objective.
“We recall too that the two chambers of the national assembly, as part of the legislative processes, organised public hearings in their respective chambers in respect of NPC bill.
“Over 570 Memorandum were received and 300 oral submissions made during the Public Hearings. In all of these, it was only four submissions and presentations that were against the passage of the bill. Public Hearing is one of the most important part of bill making processes.
“Does it mean Peace Corps bribed its way into the hearts of all individuals and institutions, including federal government ministries/agencies, traditional and religious institutions that all advocated for the passage of the bill?
“Certainly, NPC is on the path to greatness. The question now begging for answers from every rational mind is “can any youth based organisation have the financial capacity or wherewithal to bribe a single senator or house of representatives member, how much more the entire national assembly members and its leadership, some of whom were former governors, ministers, business moguls, retired generals etc.
“After the passage of the bill, we do expect deliberate and calculated campaign of calumny by those who want to truncate it being assented to by Mr President.”
A report had said some senators were bribed with cash and slots for the bill to sail through.
