Federal Govt Deploys Aid Volunteers to Needy African Countries
- Nigeria continues to consistently play its big brother role in Africa and even beyond
- To this end, 33 volunteers have been deployed to Uganda, while more are expected to be deployed to other neighbouring needy African countries soon
- The move is in response to humanitarian needs to cushion the biting economic downturn in those countries
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The Directorate of Technical Aid Corps on Wednesday, April 28 dispatched 33 volunteers to Uganda, while more are expected to be deployed to other neighbouring needy African countries in response to humanitarian needs to cushion the biting economic downturn.
The volunteers, made up of university lecturers, were dispatched ceremoniously in a convoy of three luxury buses en route to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, to catch up with the 11:00 am flight to Uganda.
Legit.ng gathered that they are expected to lecture in Ugandan universities until the year 2023.
A statement sent to Legit.ng by the acting director-general of the Technical Aid Corps, Shehu Mohammed, noted that the deployment is in order to strengthen Uganda's educational system, as part of the grand masterplan of Nigeria for the needy African, Caribbean, and pacific countries.
Shehu further disclosed that Nigeria has long been providing this sort of technical assistance to needy countries as a veritable foreign policy tool, to strengthen diplomatic relations so as to assert the country's position as a continental leader.
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His words:
“Let it be known that the volunteers sent to Uganda had earlier responded to an advertisement placed by the corps on the 22nd of March, 2021 with respect to the need for lecturers to boost the Ugandan educational sector.
“They are the successful applicants who scaled through the rigorous screening process by the corps; therefore they were consequently shortlisted for the all-expense paid foreign mission to Uganda, which is the second of its kind by the government of Nigeria.
“The volunteers' welfare and sundry bills will be footed by the Nigerian government throughout their 2-years expeditions in the African nation, so as to enable them to give their best to the responsibility they have been assigned to carry out.
“Also another batch of 33 more Technical Aid Volunteers are billed to depart for Tanzania by next week, in the wake of the Ugandan trip. A trip which will go down the annals as the third foreign support by Nigeria in a space of 4 months in 2021.”
In a related development, at least 144 Nigerian police officers have arrived in Somalia to boost stabilization efforts in the country where they are expected to mentor the Somali Police Force and assist in public order management.
While some of the officers have been deployed to several states in the country, the remaining officials will serve in various roles in the capital, Mogadishu.
The officers will perform duties like regular patrols at checkpoints, guard static duties, and other assignments that involve general policing.
Meanwhile, Nigeria and some other West African countries were appreciated on Tuesday, April 27 by the Sierra Leonean government as the country marked its 60th Independence Anniversary at a series of events in the capital city of Freetown.
In a show of appreciation and gratitude, President Julis Maada Bio honoured Nigeria for standing with Sierra Leone, a nation that survived an 11-year civil conflict from 1991 to 2002.
Source: Legit.ng