The Chief Executive Officer of Pelican Valley Nigeria Ltd., Dr. Babatunde Adeyemo, has appealed to members of the National Assembly to ensure that the Peace Corps Bill, which has resurfaced before the 10th Assembly, is given an accelerated hearing and speedy passage into law.
Adeyemo also passionately appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to give the bill his assent whenever a clean copy of it is eventually presented to him by the federal legislative arm.
He made the appeal when a six-man delegation of the Ogun State Command of the Peace Corps of Nigeria led by the Commandant, Akinyemi Olufemi, paid him a courtesy visit at the Podium, Pelican Valley Estate Laderin, Abeokuta.
Adeyemo commended the PCN for all its youth-focused engagements and expressed the willingness to identify with the organisation, saying the matter tabled before him was a call to service.
He expressed the confidence that the present Peace Corps Bill will receive the blessing of President Tinubu, describing him as a loving and caring father who is more than determined to empower and integrate the nation’s youths into governance.
Adeyemo said, “I am very glad to be associated with the Peace Corps of Nigeria. To the best of my knowledge, the organisation has not been associated with any wrong things in Nigeria. Anything that has to do with youth development, I always like to identify with it. This is a call to service.
“Everywhere I am called to be part of service, more especially service to humanity, I’m always available. We will do our best to uplift this organisation to the glory of God. We are quite aware of the challenges of the Peace Corps right from the time the first bill was passed and presented to the former president (Muhammadu Buhari) up to the present president when he was barely a few days in office.
“So, I believe this time around the bill will scale through and see the good side of Mr. President. I know our president is a loving and caring father who is so concerned about the security of lives and property. He is so concerned about youth empowerment, and he has said, time and time again, that he is very much interested in encouraging the youth so that they can also be the leaders of tomorrow.”
The Pelican boss noted that given the organisation’s over two decades of existence with its emphasis on nurturing young people and inspiring them to develop attributes of patriotism, good citizenship, positive work ethics, and sound leadership qualities, a legislative backing and the President’s assent to the bill will open a new vista of opportunity for our youths to better serve the country and achieve their potentials.
He added, “With our estimated over 200 million population and increasing urbanisation come also the increased multifaceted and varying security challenges confronting the nation today. These require more efforts and relevant agencies to combat them so as to keep Nigeria, the citizens, and businesses safe.
“So, it will be a right step in the right direction if the Peace Corps Bill is passed into law and receives the President’s assent to make the organisation a government security outfit; it will go a long way to complement the efforts of other existing agencies towards carrying out the onerous task of keeping the nation safe. So, I’m appealing to the National Assembly and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to look at the bill from the point of national interest and cause it to succeed this time.
“I will also encourage the Peace Corps to remain focused, committed, and unwavering in their vision and mission. The task of nation-building is a collective effort. You should continue to inspire our youths to be patriotic, good citizens, and young leaders. Together we shall build a great nation of our dreams for ourselves and for the future generations.
