The national commandant, of the Peace Corps of Nigeria, Ambassador Dickson Akoh, has appealed to the Federal Government to immortalize and compensate the two members of the Boys Scouts’ Movement who lost their lives during the St Finbarr’s Catholic Church, Jos bomb blast.
Akoh made the appeal during a press briefing on the state of the nation at its national headquarters in Abuja at the weekend.
He said that the appeal was premised on the fact that the two young men paid the supreme price on the course of rendering selfless service to their fatherland in defence of others and therefore should be given due recognition and honour.
The commandant pointed out that the scouts and other social uniform organisations were putting heads together to render assistance to the families of the two youths just as he said that the government could promote patriotism on the part of the youth if these two were immortalised and adequate compensation paid to their families.
“The government can, therefore, promote patriotism on the part of the Nigeria youths if they are immortalised and adequate compensation paid to their families, especially in the light of the grave devastation that would have rocked the church but averted by the heroic act of the two gentlemen.”
On the issue of unemployment ravaging the youth constituency in Nigeria, Akoh recommended the immediate setting up of a Social Security Trust Fund scheme that would be backed up by legislation which would create avenue for multinational corporations, companies, financial institutions to pay special taxes into the fund.
Also, he said that government officials at the Federal, State and Local Governments as well as the members of the National and State Assemblies to contribute 10 per cent of their security votes towards sustaining the social security trust fund.