As reactions continue to trail the passage of the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill into law, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has hailed the Nigerian Senate and the House of Representatives.
The Senate had on Thursday read the Bill for an Act to establish the Nigerian Peace Corps (SB.173) for the third time and passed it into law, after the House of Representatives had passed similar Bill in June 2016.
At a Press Briefing in Abuja on Friday, the National President of NANS, Comrade Aruna Kadiri said the passage of the Bill was a giant stride and a right step in the right direction.
“In fact, this is a major leap for all Nigerian youths and as such, we appreciate the leadership of Distinguished Senator Bukola Saraki and Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara and all other members of the National Assembly”, he said.
The Students’ leader also appreciated the National Commandant of Peace Corps, Amb. (Dr.) Dickson A.O. Akoh “for his creativity, nationalism, doggedness and focus for nurturing this noble idea in the past 18 years and eventually following it up this far which has placed Nigeria as the second nation to achieve this feat after United States of America passed similar Bill to law, 22nd September, 1961”.
Comrade Kadiri also used the ocassion to call on President Muhammadu Buhari to kindly assent to the Bill so as to drastically reduce the unemployment situations bedeviling Nigerian youthsn adding that “the Bill will go a very long way to adequately empower, develop and provide alternative employment for many Nigerian youth”.
He said “We want to congratulate Mr. President (President Muhammadu Buhari) for achieving this during his tenure as President of Nigeria, while on behalf of teaming millions of Nigerian Students appealing to Mr. President to quickly assent to this Bill and give it all the needed institutional support as this will go a long way to write his name in gold and serve as a major avenue to fulfil some of the electoral promises to create employment for millions of Nigerian youth”.
On the protracted disagreement between the Federal Government (FG) and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Comrade Kadiri said the government should be responsible enough to honour the agreements that was reached with ASUU in 2009.
He said those who gained admission into universities in 2009 had long graduated while the FG is still dragging its feet on implementations of the agreement reached.
Comrade Kadiri however said NANS had written to the leadership of ASUU and that very soon, there would be an interface where the students leaders would advise ASUU on certain issues.
He said “before I was born, ASUU had been embarking on strike, up till this moment. It is high time ASUU embarked on research to be informed of other veritable tools to use in negotiating with the government, rather than embarking on strike all the time”.
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