By EDITH TSOKAR

The National Commandant of the Peace Corps of Nigeria, Dickson Akoh, has announced the commencement of a nationwide personnel re-validation exercise for officers and men trained by the organisation from 1998 to 2026.

‎Akoh disclosed this on Wednesday during a news conference at the organisation’s headquarters in Abuja.

‎He said the exercise, approved by the Peace Corps Council, was aimed at updating personnel records and aligning the organisation’s human resource structure with modern institutional standards.

‎According to him, the exercise is mandatory for all officers and members trained since the establishment of the organisation in 1998.

‎He explained that the re-validation would also help the organisation ascertain the current academic qualifications of its personnel for merit-based promotions, specialised deployments and effective utilisation of manpower.

‎“The exercise is not merely a routine administrative check but a comprehensive audit designed to harmonise our human resource capacity with modern institutional requirements,” he said.

‎Akoh added that submission of the National Identification Number (NIN) had been made compulsory as part of measures to eliminate identity fraud and strengthen the integrity of the organisation’s database.

‎He said integrating the NIN into the Corps’ database would ensure that all members remained traceable and verifiable in line with national security requirements.

‎The commandant further disclosed that the exercise would serve as the foundation for major structural reforms and reorganisation within the Peace Corps.

‎He said the reforms would cover operations from the national headquarters to zonal, state, district and local government commands to improve efficiency, discipline and accountability.

According to him, the reorganisation is aimed at repositioning the organisation to strengthen its internal governance structure and enhance its relevance both locally and internationally.

‎Akoh warned that any personnel who failed to participate in the exercise or provide valid academic credentials and NIN within the stipulated period would forfeit membership of the organisation.

‎“There will be no room for ghost personnel, inactive members or unverified individuals within the reformed Peace Corps of Nigeria,” he said.

‎The commandant also expressed concern over the increasing cases of attacks and kidnappings in educational institutions across the country.

‎He said the trend posed serious threats to the education sector and could discourage parents from sending their children to school.

‎Akoh, therefore, called for urgent deployment of Peace Corps personnel to educational institutions as part of efforts to strengthen security and support the nation’s Safe Schools initiative.

‎He explained that the proposed deployment would provide grassroots surveillance, early warning mechanisms and intelligence gathering to prevent security breaches in schools.

‎According to him, Peace Corps personnel deployed to schools would work closely with conventional security agencies to ensure prompt response to threats.

‎He emphasised that the initiative would also address issues such as cultism, drug abuse and other social vices affecting students.

‎Akoh said the strategy would help create a safe and conducive learning environment while promoting peace education and psycho-social support for students.

‎He reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to national peace, security and development.(NAN)

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