ABUJA – Nigerians deployed to Rwanda for volunteers services under the Federal Government’s Technical Aid Corps (TAC) programme on Monday pledged to use their experience to help rebuild the war-torn country.
The volunteers, 19 of them, spoke in separate interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, shortaly before their departure to Rwanda.
They said that Nigeria, as the “giant of Africa”, had a lot to offer Rwanda.
The volunteers also pledged to project the Nigeria’s image positively as the country’s ambassadors while in Rwanda.
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Dr Izeubokun Uwaibi, a medical doctor, said she would bring her wealth of experience to bear in Rwanda’s health sector.
“I am very glad to have been given this great opportunity to be able to serve my country, even though I’m going to help my country to help enrich another country in Africa, because we know Africa, we are all one, one brother, one family.
“I have a lot of knowledge from Nigeria that I can impact on the people of Rwanda. I am very happy about the experience and the opportunity.
“As a medical doctor, I will also bring the knowledge they gave me here in Nigeria that will help enrich their Ministry of Health and their public health at large, because I’m really concerned about the public health.
“Like the way Nigeria handled Ebola, we handled it very well and with that kind of knowledge and the zeal with which we handled it, it has also given me an insight to the fact that the way you go about taking things or handling things matters a lot.
“And we should always be prepared at any point in time to handle any emergency no matter how grave it is.
“With all that knowledge, we will be able to move the health system in Rwanda forward. We will also be able to bring up their youth to have interest in medicine.”
Another volunteer, Rotimi Akerele, an engineer, who is going to Rwanda as a lecturer, expressed his readiness to impact Rwandans with knowledge.
“I am going to Rwanda to go and impact knowledge, I’m going there as an engineer.
“I will do my best to bring my country up and to prove that I am from Nigeria and to satisfy my conscience.”
Also speaking, Mrs Isoken Elijah, an Accident and Emergency Nurse, said that she would do her best to make Nigeria proud while in Rwanda.
“Whether convenient or not, I will do my best to be the best and to make Nigeria proud,” she said.
NAN reports that the Director-General of TAC, Dr Pius Osunyikanmi, at the pre-departure briefing for the volunteers, urged them to project the image of Nigeria positively while in Rwanda.
Osunyikanmi, who was represented by Dr Oladele Abiodun, the Director, Programmes of the corps, while congratulating the volunteers, said that to serve as volunteers was a rare privilege.
“It is a very laudable programme that you are going for, and I trust that you will do Nigeria proud.
“Out of so many millions of Nigerians, you have been counted worthy to be the ones to go and represent us outside as TAC volunteers.
“You are actually going there as the ambassadors of Nigeria. You are representing Nigeria and they (Rwandans) will see Nigeria through you.
“If you are hardworking and dedicated to duty, definitely, the locals you are going to be working with will have the impression that Nigerians are hardworking people.
“I implore all of you to be dedicated and go out of your way to do something that the locals will live to remember for a long time to come.”
According to Osunyikanmi, the volunteer programme started in 1987, and thousands of volunteers have been deployed to several African, Caribbean and Pacific countries under the scheme. (NAN)
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