“From September 2023 till date, we have been deploying two to three times every month nonstop,” Buba said. “With the President’s support, we cleared our debts and have maintained Nigeria’s steady global presence.”
The Director-General of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (NTAC), Dr. Yusuf Buba Yakub, has credited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 4D foreign policy agenda with revitalizing Nigeria’s global presence and boosting the agency’s role in soft power diplomacy.
Speaking at a media chat in Abuja to mark his two years in office, Buba reflected on the challenges he met upon assumption of duty on August 28, 2023, and the progress achieved since then.
Clearing Debts, Sustaining Global Deployments
The NTAC boss recalled inheriting 198 volunteers alongside a ₦300 million debt and unpaid salaries. He said the agency also grappled with the impact of currency fluctuations in 2024, which threatened overseas deployments.
“From September 2023 till date, we have been deploying two to three times every month nonstop,” Buba said. “With the President’s support, we cleared our debts and have maintained Nigeria’s steady global presence.”
Tinubu’s 4D Agenda Driving Reforms
Highlighting the impact of the government’s foreign policy, the DG described NTAC as an instrument of soft power diplomacy that has, over 38 years, deployed more than 10,000 Nigerian experts to over 40 countries.
“Today, NTAC is at its highest peak since inception because of the President’s 4D agenda—Democracy, Demography, Diaspora, and Development,” Buba affirmed.
He pointed to examples such as Nigerian volunteers in The Gambia who have risen to become Vice-Chancellors and Deputy Vice-Chancellors of leading universities, describing this as proof of Nigeria’s global influence.
Infrastructure Renewal and Future Plans
The DG also disclosed reforms within NTAC, including the renovation of its offices and procurement of operational buses. He noted that by October 2025, the Corps will have 450 volunteers in service, representing 90% of its target.
Looking ahead, Buba said NTAC would expand beyond volunteer service to structured manpower export. “While TAC volunteers serve freely, we are working with host governments and partners like the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to export skilled manpower commercially,” he explained, citing Jamaica’s request for 400 paid experts as an example.
Raising Future Leaders
Buba urged Nigerian youths to embrace NTAC as a platform for service and leadership development.
“We are not just sending out volunteers; we are raising leaders who will come back to build Nigeria,” he said.
The event ended with group photographs, underscoring NTAC’s renewed commitment to service, accountability, and strengthening Nigeria’s global image.
