Yusuf Yakub, the director-general of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (NTAC), says plans were underway to commercialise the technical volunteers scheme to serve countries in need of professionals.

Mr Yakubu said this on Friday in Abuja during the deployment exercise of 20 Technical Aid Corps (TAC) volunteers, comprising doctors and nurses, to The Gambia.

According to him, commercialising the volunteering scheme was introduced because Nigeria has an abundance of unemployed youths and experts who are not fully engaged.

“You know we have an abundance of unemployed youths in the country, a lot of experts that are not fully employed, and the whole world is in need of experts to fill some gaps.

“That informed the need to introduce this initiative, and the corps has developed confidence in other countries because Nigerians have served very well in places they were deployed to.

“Jamaica has opened the way by asking for about 400 experts,” he said.

He urged the volunteers to be worthy ambassadors of Nigeria, applauding President Bola Tinubu for sustaining the deployment exercise, which was a pulse to the soft power foreign diplomacy initiative.

“By doing this, we are contributing to the development of our sister countries and our Blacks in the Caribbean and the Pacific.

“We are also creating a partnership, culture and numerous advantages that this programme will bring.

“Above all, we are serving humanity, and to the glory of God, this programme has been given every support by the Tinubu administration,” he said.

Zakari Usman, the director of programmes, said the selection process for the TAC volunteers was tedious, adding that 20 candidates were selected from over 10,000 applications.

He urged the volunteers to be of good behaviour by projecting the country’s image in their host country.

Adanlawo Isaac, a surgeon and the team lead, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to join the team.

Mr Isaac said the team would endeavour to project Nigeria in a good light and be worthy ambassadors of the country.

The 20 volunteers are medical practitioners made up of doctors and nurses.

They are Awumtiya Nelson, Aishatu Umar, Folake Iyogun, Salim Jaafar, Oyindamola Oladunmiye, Tula Musa, Julmucit Gwapna, and Rakiya Maitama.

Others are Ndagi Yunusa, Gbadamosi Hakeem, Bala Godwin, Abba Gumsuri, Uthman Jelilat, Blessing Okure, Fatima Abdullahi, Vivian Nnemaka, Olayinka Rahman, Nwafor Precious and Sule Abdulkarim. 

(NAN)