Dr. Yusuf Yakub, the head of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (NTAC), said that there are plans to expand the technical volunteer program so that it can help other countries that need skilled professionals.
He said this on Friday in Abuja, while sending off 20 medical volunteers—including doctors and nurses—who are being deployed to work in The Gambia.
He explained that the program also helps reduce unemployment in Nigeria.
According to him, the idea of expanding the program came because many young people and professionals in Nigeria are unemployed or not fully engaged.
“We have many unemployed young people and underused experts in Nigeria, while many countries around the world need skilled workers. That’s why we started this initiative,” he said. “Nigerians have done well in the countries they were sent to, so other countries now trust the program. For example, Jamaica has requested about 400 professionals.”
He encouraged the volunteers to represent Nigeria well and thanked President Bola Tinubu for supporting the program, which also helps strengthen Nigeria’s foreignrelationships.
The Director-General said that Nigeria’s large number of skilled people can make a difference in other African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries through South-South cooperation.
“By doing this, we are helping our sister countries grow. We’re also building partnerships, sharing culture, and creating other benefits through this program,” he added. “Above all, we are serving humanity, and President Tinubu’s administration has fully supported it.”
Ambassador Zakari Usman, the Director of Programmes, said it was hard to choose the volunteers, as they picked only 20 out of more than 10,000 applicants.
He advised the volunteers to behave well and represent Nigeria positively in the countries where they will work.
Professor Adanlawo Isaac, a surgeon and the team leader, said he was thankful for the chance to be part of the team. He promised they would be good representatives of Nigeria.
The 20 volunteers are all medical professionals—doctors and nurses. Their names include:Awumtiya Nelson, Aishatu Umar, Folake Iyogun, Salim Jaafar, Oyindamola Oladunmiye, Tula Musa, Julmucit Gwapna, Rakiya Maitama,Ndagi Yunusa, Gbadamosi Hakeem, Bala Godwin, Abba Gumsuri, Uthman Jelilat, Blessing Okure, Fatima Abdullahi, Vivian Nnemaka, Olayinka Rahman, Nwafor Precious, and Sule Abdulkarim.
