Peace Corps’ drive towards youth employment

It is a known fact that the Nigerian Peace Corps is committment to emancipating youths from joblessness in the country. ENE OSANG highlights some of this year’s  achievements by the youth organization towards this vision. 

The National Commandant, Peace Corps of Nigeria Ambassador Dickson Akoh,  while recounting the achievements his organization recorded this year,  said youth development remains one of their top priority.
This, Akoh said, is why he made a strong case during the public hearing of the bill lying before the National Assembly, that the organization should be domiciled under the ministry of youth development.
Akoh said the organization is all about youth matters, and so cannot be under the ministry of interior as misunderstood by some citizens.
He assured that when the bill for an act to establish the Nigerian Peace Corps is assented to by President Mohammadu Buhari, it will go a long way to alleviating  youth unemployment.
According to him, the organization in its drive to provide jobs for the teeming youth has opened its state commands and extended it’s activities to the remaining four states in the federation where,  before now had no existence of the peace corps.
‘’The Peace Corps of Nigeria now has its presence in all the states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).  I therefore stand tall to say that this achievement alone is uncommon to any youth organization in Nigeria.

“It is no longer contestable that Nigeria, which is currently in the grip of recession is also greatly under-policed, in spite of the avalanche of security agencies available. In the same vain, youth unemployment is on the ascendance, he said.
The National Commandant maintained that the level of youth unemployment in the country calls for urgent attention, adding that the Peace Corps is concerned and ready to assist.
‘’Just last week, the National bureau of statistics released a damning report indicating that youth unemployment has risen to 19.8%.
‘’This worrisome  development, if no decisive action is taken to address the situation and adequately engage or pre-occupy the Youths, portends danger to the peace and security of this great nation,’’ he warned.
‘’Therefore, the Nigerian Peace Corps,  apart from creating job opportunities for our teeming unemployed youths, will also play a significant role in the nation’s security architecture, ‘’ he assured.
To further confirm its commitment to youth matters, he recalled that the organization signed a memorandum of understanding with Hajiya Hadiza Buhari’s Africa Support and Empowerment Initiative (AFRISEI) for the rehabilitation of the released 21 Chibok girls.
‘’Determined to give these girls a new lease of life,  our organization donated three million,  five hundred thousand naira (#3, 500,000.00) to the noble course.
‘’Our organization turned 18 this year and as part of our cooperate social responsibility, we visited Suleja prisons, donated relief materials and 40 inmates with pardonable crimes were set free.
‘’Also the African Union granted this organization a special consultative status under its Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).  The ECOSOC holds the African Union’s mandate for youth affairs, peace and social development, he noted.
‘’Above all , the icing on the cake of our modest attainments  this year is the passage of a bill for an act to establish the Nigerian Peace Corps by both chambers of the National Assembly.
He expressed satisfaction that the bill which seeks to give statutory backing to the organization is at the stage of harmonisation, adding that it would afterwards be transmitted to the Presidency for the President’s assent.
‘’I wish to state emphatically that those expressing misgivings about our organization that it will be another drain pipe on government resources greatly missed the point,’’ he said.
Revealing it’s plans for year 2017, he said the organization is establishing an Academy for the training and re-training of its officers and staff,  adding that the academy became necessary considering the constitutional requirement of compulsory training for every member of the organisation.