The Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (NTAC) has urged 10 newly selected volunteers heading to Rwanda to uphold Nigeria’s image through professionalism, integrity and patriotism during their two-year assignments.
The NTAC Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Yusuf Buba Yakub, gave the charge during an orientation and pre-deployment programme for the volunteers at the NTAC Complex in Abuja.
Yakub described the volunteers as ambassadors of Nigeria, stressing that their conduct in Rwanda would reflect directly on the country.
“You are going out there not as Professor Abubakar, or Dr Ngozi, or Abiodun. You are going there as Nigeria. Not just as a Nigerian, but as Nigeria. Whatever you do there, they are seeing Nigeria,” he said.
He urged the volunteers to focus on their strengths and demonstrate discipline, diligence, integrity and patriotism while carrying out their responsibilities.
According to him, the volunteers were selected to fill specific manpower gaps identified by Rwanda and were expected to contribute meaningfully to the country’s development.
Yakub said NTAC, established in 1987 and backed by an Act of the National Assembly in 1993, remained an important tool of Nigeria’s soft-power diplomacy and South-South cooperation.
He noted that the programme had operated for 38 years, providing technical assistance to countries across Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
The NTAC boss also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting the Corps and its mandate, saying the administration’s renewed focus on foreign policy and soft-power diplomacy had helped reposition NTAC for greater impact.
He also praised the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, for supporting NTAC and its programmes.
Yakub assured the volunteers that the Corps would continue to cater for their welfare, including allowances and flight tickets, while the Nigerian Embassy in Rwanda would provide diplomatic and consular support.
He added that the host university would provide accommodation, utility bills and transportation to and from their workplaces.
The NTAC DG urged the volunteers to view their deployment as more than an employment opportunity, describing it as a call to serve Nigeria and humanity.
He said previous NTAC volunteers had distinguished themselves in their host countries and risen to positions including vice-chancellors, deputy vice-chancellors, deans and heads of departments.
Earlier, NTAC Director of Programmes, Bello A. Jaiye, said the selection, interview and documentation processes had been completed, adding that the volunteers would depart for Rwanda shortly after the orientation.
Speaking on behalf of the volunteers, team leader Aliyu Isa Aliyu thanked NTAC for the opportunity to serve Nigeria and pledged that the team would uphold the country’s image throughout their assignment.
The orientation programme also provided the volunteers with information on NTAC’s rules, regulations, expectations and other requirements for a successful assignment.
