By Yemi Itodo
A Media Consultant to the Nigeria Peace Corps, Mr Rogers Ochela, has said that the functions of the Corps were not overlapping that of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) nor the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC).
In an open letter addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari, Ochela said the insinuations that the Corps’ functions were similar to those of other security agencies were mere fallacies.
The consultant who tabulated the functions of the police, the NSCDC and that of the proposed Nigerian Peace Corps (NPC), urged President Buhari and other well-meaning Nigerians to read through and see the difference in functions.
He insisted that, apart from the differences in function, the current security situation in Nigeria required difference approaches to addressing insecurity.
“Your Excellency Sir, the dynamic nature of insecurity in Nigeria today requires roles differentiation as a panacea to expertise in addressing security challenges.
“It would interest you to know that similar organizations like the Nigerian Peace Corps exists in other parts of the world, such as the American Peace Corps, Canadian Peace Corps, Bangladesh National Cadet Corps, Peace Officers Commission in China, Chinese Labour Corps, Lera Uniform Corps of Malaysia, Malaysian People Volunteer Corps, Production and Construction Corps of China, and many more.
“All these are consciously and deliberately designed to empower and socially preoccupy the youths so that their state of idleness won’t be exploited adversely.
“We appeal to Your Excellency to discountenance such malicious misrepresentation of facts and be graciously disposed to assenting to the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill”, he said.
Itemising some of the differences in functions, Ochela said that, while the police is tasked with prevention of crime and protection of lives and properties, the NSCDC is expected to assist in maintaining peace while the peace corps is supposed to provide gainful employment for the youth in order to facilitate peace and volunteerism.
He insisted that there was no function of the corps that forms part of the functions of neither the police nor the NSCDC adding that the corps was not intended as an arms carrying body.
