Dr Yusuf Yakub, the Director-General, Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (NTAC), says Nigeria will continue to share its abundant human capital with Africa, Caribbean and the Pacific countries (ACP).
Yakub said this on Saturday in Abuja at a reception and debriefing exercise of 14 returning Technical Aid Corps (TAC) Volunteers from Uganda and the Gambia.
Newsspecng reports that 13 TAC volunteers had on Friday returned from Uganda while one returned from the Gambia after their two years voluntary service in their host countries.
The D-G lauded the TAC volunteers for their service to humanity, Africa and Nigeria as they returned with accolades.
“It is only a few countries in the world that have the capacity and the political will to carry on with programmes of this nature, and these few countries are mostly the developed countries.
“These inlude the United Kingdom’s UKAID, America’s USAID, China’s CHINAID and in Nigeria, we have NTAC.
“I think we are the only country in Africa that has sent TAC volunteers to ACP countries for the past 37 years, which shows that our country is a great nation.
“We also have all the manpower as I always say, we will continue in the African spirit to share what we have with our fellow ACP countries.
“We have our fellow blacks in these countries and we will continue to share with them the abundant human resources that God has given to us,’’ he said.
The NTAC programme was conceived as an instrument of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs soft power diplomacy to bridge the educational and professional gaps in the ACP countries.
Some volunteers while speaking with Newsspecng recalled their experiences and applauded the Federal Government for the opportunity and experienced gained.
They also urged government to support and liaise with the host community to beef up security for the TAC volunteers by ensuring their safety in their host community.
Dr Chinwe Igiri, a Software Engineer, said the universities they served as volunteers has requested their retainment, but they had to follow due protocol by first returning home.
“Also, we have won a lot of grants and we have some projects ongoing. As a TAC volunteer, it was an avenue to express what is in me that needs to be tapped.
“The university I served gave me the opportunity which I made a lot of impact, I started a programme that was approved by the National Council of Higher Education,’’ she said.
Mr Terseer Ako, a Civil Engineer with specialisation in Transportation and Highway Engineering, said that the experience was wonderful and an opportunity to promote the country’s image.
“We had lots of commendations and experiences that I thought the school management didn’t observe but I was surprised when they organised a farewell party and the Vice Chancellor mentioned our achievements.
“Finally, when I read the appreciation letter they wrote to us individually, I wasn’t expecting the details of our stay from it, so all in all, it was a wonderful experience and we are grateful to Federal Government,” Ako said.
