Report from Technical Aid Corps.
The Director General of the Technical Aid Corps (TAC), Dr. Pius Osunyinkanmi has advised Nigerian volunteers to Namibia to avoid getting involved in illegal deals in the South African country and be good ambassadors of Nigeria.
The Director General gave the advice while addressing the volunteers at the agreement signing/send forth for their departure to Namibia.
The 16 volunteers who are to be engaged as teachers joined their other colleagues, making a total of 76 sent to Namibia. They are to handle subjects in the area of arts, social sciences and pure sciences.
It will be recalled that TAC had in December last year, sent 49 volunteers to Namibia.
While addressing the volunteers, Dr. Osunyinkanmi warned that “never get involved in the hosts’ local politics as this could cause serious embarrassment to you, your host and Nigeria.”
Represented by the Director of programmes, Dr.(Mrs) Oladele Abiodun, the DG advised the volunteers to be good ambassadors of the country and avoid any untoward behavior capable of tarnishing their integrity and the name of the country.
She said: “When you go, consider yourselves as ambassadors of Nigeria and do not indulge in dubious activities. When you get there, be friendly and remember what you give is what you get. So treat everyone you come across with respect.”
She noted that as Nigerian volunteers continue to impact positively on the development of recipient countries, numerous benefits have continued to accrue to Nigeria.
Recalling the vision behind the establishment of TAC, the Director said, since inception in 1987, Nigeria’s volunteers have served in 38 ACP countries which include Jamaica, Belize, The Gambia, Sierra-Leone, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique and Seychelles.”
Others, according to her, include Kenya, Namibia, Benin Republic, Swaziland, Senegal, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Commonwealth of Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Vanuatu, Fiji Uganda, Burundi and recently some Asian countries.”
Dr. Abiodun explained that the “strength of the TAC programme lies in the fact that it is a people-oriented and people centered assistance programme, geared towards physical and socio-economic development of the recipient countries.”
She stressed that this is in consonance with current global practice on development aid, which emphasizes people-centered approach as against direct material or cash donations.
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