President Muhammadu Buhari has withheld assent on the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill in a letter written to the National Assembly on Tuesday, 27th February, 2018. Reading the communication from the President at the House of Representatives plenary session, the Speaker Yakubu Dogara (APC:Bauchi) stated that the President had declined assent on security concerns and the financial implications that the Bill would cost the country if approved.

According to President Buhari, there were security concerns regarding the Bill’s proposal enabling it undertake activities currently being performed by existing security and law enforcement agencies. In addition to this, were the financial implications of funding its operations given the Federal Government’s scarce resources.

It will be recalled that the National Assembly passed the Peace Corps Bill in 2017, after a prolonged battle involving the Peace Corps and existing national security agencies who were opposed to its establishment as a government agency. The Peace Corps currently exists as a volunteering organization.

However, the President’s withholding of assent on the Bill has been met with disappointment by some young Nigerians, who anticipated that its enactment would reduce unemployment.