Go Forth and Make Nigeria Proud’: NTAC DG Sends 18 Volunteers to Gambia with Charge for Excellence
Go Forth and Make Nigeria Proud’: NTAC DG Sends 18 Volunteers to Gambia with Charge for Excellence
Go Forth and Make Nigeria Proud’: NTAC DG Sends 18 Volunteers to Gambia with Charge for Excellence
The Director-General of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (NTAC), Rt. Hon. Yusuf Buba Yakub, has urged 18 newly deployed Nigerian Technical Aid Corps Volunteers to go to The Gambia not merely as professionals, but as worthy ambassadors of Nigeria whose service will leave an enduring mark on the country’s development and reputation.
The Director-General gave the charge on Thursday in Abuja at the deployment ceremony for the Volunteers, challenging them to distinguish themselves through professionalism, discipline, patriotism and exceptional service throughout their 24-month assignment.
He reminded the Volunteers that they were stepping into a legacy built by generations of Nigerians who had served with distinction across Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, earning Nigeria goodwill, respect and admiration through their knowledge, character and contributions.
According to him, every Volunteer represents more than an individual profession or institution, but the image and values of Nigeria, making their conduct and achievements critical to the country’s people-to-people diplomacy.
> “You are going there as Nigerians, as professionals and as ambassadors of our country. Your conduct, your competence and the impact you make will determine the footprints you leave behind.”
Rt. Hon. Buba described the Technical Aid Corps as one of Nigeria’s most important instruments of people-to-people diplomacy and South-South cooperation, through which the country deploys highly skilled professionals to partner nations to support human capital development and address critical manpower needs.
While congratulating the 18 Volunteers on their successful enlistment into the Scheme, the NTAC helmsman urged them to see their deployment as both a responsibility and a rare opportunity to make a difference.
He said their assignment in The Gambia provides them with an avenue to contribute their expertise to national development while showcasing the depth of Nigerian talent and strengthening the bonds between Nigeria and The Gambia.
The Director-General also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for his sustained support for the Technical Aid Corps Scheme over the past three years, noting that the administration’s commitment has helped reinvigorate the Scheme and further advance Nigeria’s soft-power diplomacy and leadership within the Global South.
### **Nigerians Rising to Leadership in The Gambia**
Highlighting the remarkable footprints left by previous TAC Volunteers in The Gambia, Rt. Hon. Buba revealed that some Nigerian beneficiaries of the Scheme had risen beyond their initial assignments to occupy strategic leadership positions in Gambian institutions, including positions as Vice-Chancellors and Deputy Vice-Chancellors.
He disclosed that the outstanding performance of one immediate past Nigerian Volunteer had so impressed the Gambian authorities that he was granted an additional one-year appointment as Vice-Chancellor of a major institution.
For the NTAC Director-General, such recognition represents more than an individual achievement; it is evidence of the trust partner countries place in Nigerian expertise and the growing influence of the Technical Aid Corps as an instrument of Nigeria’s international goodwill.
He therefore urged the newly deployed Volunteers to approach their assignment with the same determination and excellence that have made their predecessors worthy ambassadors of Nigeria.
### **‘You Have Been Chosen Because You Are Capable’**
Earlier, the Director of Programmes, Ambassador Bello A. Jaye, formally presented the Volunteers to the Director-General, stating that they had demonstrated the character, competence and professional capacity required to serve under the TAC Scheme.
Speaking on behalf of the Volunteers, the Team Leader, Engr. Prof. Bashir Aliyu, a Professor of Agricultural Engineering at Modibbo Adama University, Yola, expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for the renewed momentum within the Scheme.
He assured the NTAC leadership that the team would justify the confidence reposed in them by conducting themselves with discipline, dedication, professionalism and patriotism throughout their assignment.
The deployment ceremony, which brought together members of NTAC Management and the Volunteers, ended with a group photograph, marking the beginning of what promises to be another chapter in Nigeria’s longstanding tradition of exporting expertise, goodwill and excellence to partner nations.
