From: Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
House Committee Chairman on Nigeria-Iran Parliamentary Relations, Hon. Abdullahi Umar Faruk, representing Birnin Kebbi, Kalgo and Bunza Federal Constituency of Kebbi State, has said that the National Assembly would pass Bills seeking the establishment of Nigerian Peace Corps and Local government autonomy.
Faruk, who stated this while speaking with Daily Sun after given his stewardship at the Lower House to the people of his Constituency in Birnin-Kebbi, said both Bills if passed, would engaged Nigerian Youths in nation’s development and provide job for citizens at the grassroots.
Speaking on Nigerian Peace Corps Bill which he originated at the House of Representative, Hon. Faruk said the controversy surrounding it was due to envy by few security agencies.
“Outside Nigeria, more than 130 countries across the world have similar security agencies like Nigeria Peace Corps even in Ghana. If you go to Malaysia, the first security agency any visitor will encounter is a resemblance of Nigeria Peace Corps before one will be seeing Malaysian Police at their Airports. They are the first security agency checking people before meeting Immigration, Custom. There is no envy or rivalry. After all, there salaries are not the same.
” The main strategic reason for the establishment of Peace Corps is to fully engaged our Youths on meaningful national development.”
He added that both House of Representative and Senate had met at the Joint Conference to address their differences on the Bill, stressed that it remained for the Senate to pass it to President for final assent into law.
On Local Government autonomy, Faruk said the issue of joint accounts operating by State and Local governments impoverished local governments in the country.
He said as member of Constitution Review Committee, “We feel that we should give total freedom to these local governments complete freedom. And the only way we can achieved this, is to tamper with that Joint Accounts system.
” What We want now is that the fund should go directly to the local government chairmen.
We all know that all the tiers of government, Federal, State and Local governments were established by Nigeria Constitution. Why is it that two of them do get their fund directly while the last one are denying its constitution right? Its only getting the money through a bypass channel. We are going to cancel the bypass.”