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Nigeria Advances its Big-brother Role in Africa as DTAC, Meet Volunteers, Education Minister, Others In Uganda

Published

2 years ago

November 9, 2023

Joel Ajayi

The Director-General, Directorate of Technical Aid Corps, Rt. Hon. ( Dr.) Yusuf Buba Yakub has said that the Technical Aid Corps Scheme remains an instrument of Nigeria’s Foreign Policy through which the President Tinubu Administration wishes to continue to deploy soft-power diplomacy to countries of Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific in line with Nigeria’s President 4-D Agenda.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the DG, DTAC Nkem Anyata-Lafia.

Rt. Hon. Buba, stated this when he met separately with Volunteers serving in the TAC Scheme, Vice Chancellors of Universities hosting the Volunteers in Uganda as well as the Hon. Minister of Education and Sports in Kampala.

He also emphasized the enormous advantages that soft power wields over coercion in nation-to-nation relations.

Buba, who also observed that strong bilateral ties and relations had existed between Nigeria and Uganda even before the establishment of Country Missions in their both capital cities, reminded his diverse audiences that Nigeria recognized early its immense potential in human and natural resources and, therefore, took an Afro-centric stance to contribute to the development of sister- African countries as well as countries with sizable black populations across other continents in what is generally known as South-South co-operation.

He said the provision of manpower to such African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries was a deliberate move that was meant to not only bridge the gap in capacities lacking in those nations but to develop the needed skills among such host nations towards the attainment of self-reliance.

He said: “Uganda and Nigeria have come a long way. I recall that the first Chief Justice of Uganda, Justice Udo Udoma, was an eminent Nigerian jurist from today’s Cross River State. It is no wonder, therefore, that when the TAC Scheme came on board with the establishment of the Directorate of Technical Aid Corps in 1987, Uganda became one of the first countries to receive Volunteers and benefit from the Scheme in 1988.

“About 35 years later, I am happy to observe that we have continued to deploy quality Volunteers to Uganda. These Volunteers, from what we have gathered in the course of this visitation and from what University authorities have, specifically, told us, have continued to discharge their duties with dexterity and knowledge and have been adjudged by all as worthy Ambassadors of the Nigerian nation, who have exemplified character, conduct and learning wherever they are currently serving, ” the erstwhile federal lawmaker noted.

Earlier, during interactions with the Volunteers at the Nigerian Mission in Kampala, where they had gathered to receive the DTAC delegation, most of the 75 Volunteers range from Senior Lecturers, Associate Professors, and Professors, among whom are Faculty Deans, Heads of Departments and Directors of Schools in the four different Universities where they are serving in Uganda, expressed appreciations for the benefits the TAC Scheme has provided to them to contribute to global development and to return to Nigeria better.

Also in the course of interactions with the Vice Chancellor of Kampala International University, Prof. Mouhamad Mpezamihigo, that of Cavendish University, Prof. John Mogisha as well as Associate Prof. Ismail Simbwa Gyagenda of Islamic University in Uganda( IUIU), and the representative of the Vice Chancellor of Kabale University, who is also Dean, Faculty of Engineering in the institution, Prof.Moses N. Twesigye-Omwe, lauded the commitment of the TAC Volunteers to duty and professionalism.

The DTAC delegation was completely enthralled at the level of encomiums poured on the TAC Scheme Volunteers in the four citadels of higher learning where they are currently serving. The authorities of the various schools, it must be noted, are committed to receiving more Volunteers apart from expressing the wish to retain some of them whose two-year service tenure is nearing completion.

While also visiting the Hon. Minister for Education and Sports, the DTAC delegation was elated to note that the Hon.Minister of State for Primary Education, a Medical Consultant, Dr. Joyce Kalucha, who stood in for her colleague in the Higher Education section of the Ministry headed by Janet Museveni, the nation’s First Lady who also doubles as the substantive Minister of Education and Sports, was herself trained by a Nigerian Volunteer in the TAC Scheme in the early years of the Scheme.

The Ugandan team, which apart from the Hon.Minister of State, comprises the Commissioner for Higher Education, Timothy Musoke Ssejjoba; the Director, of Higher Education; Dr.Sophia Museene and Mpyangu Godfrey Andrew, Senior Assistant Secretary, among others, informed the Nigerian delegation of ongoing reforms in the Ugandan education sector.

The team requested support from DTAC in order to bridge the identified gaps in such areas as Oil and Gas Engineering/Technology, Aviation Engineering/Technology, the Sciences, and Artificial Intelligence, among other areas.

The DTAC delegation, led by the DG, Rt. Hon.Buba, and comprising Amb.Mohammed Mohammed, Director of Programmes; Mr.Idris Saidu, Ag.Director, Finance and Accounts and Mrs Rahila Ayuba Kaura,Ag. Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, also met with the Permanent Secretary, of the Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where commitment was also elicited for more collaboration, cooperation, and strengthening of existing ties in areas relevant to the TAC Scheme.

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Fatimah Olukoju’s AFN Board Seat Challenged Over Eligibility Concerns

Published

4 hours ago

June 9, 2025

The Gleamer

By Joel Ajayi

A petition has been submitted to the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), the National Association of Women in Sports (NAWIS), and the National Sports Commission (NSC) challenging the eligibility of former Nigerian sprinter Fatimah Yusuf Olukoju to contest for the position of NAWIS Representative on the AFN board.

The petition, reportedly authored by Dr. Nneka Anibeze, Olukoju’s sole opponent in the just-concluded elections, alleges that Olukoju does not meet the criteria set forth by the association’s statutes and should have been disqualified from the contest.

In the election held on Monday at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, Olukoju emerged victorious, securing 30 votes out of 45, while Anibeze garnered 15.

Speaking after the election, Dr. Anibeze expressed dissatisfaction with the process, citing irregularities, including the disqualification of some contestants and delegates.

“Prior to the election, I raised concerns over several irregularities in the voting process,” she said. “Before Maria Wohfi was disqualified, I pointed to Article 7.0 of the AFN guidelines and 5.0 of the National Sports Commission’s guidelines, which state that even if you’re not living in Nigeria, you must provide evidence of residency in the country for at least six months prior to the election.”

According to her, these concerns were ignored by the NAWIS leadership.

“Last night, I told them I would file a protest, and they tried to dissuade me. But I’m not someone who causes trouble—I just wanted a fair process. So I submitted my protest letter and sent it to the Electoral Petition Committee. I also copied the AFN, NAWIS, and the Director-General of the NSC.”

She further alleged that several of her delegates from Gombe, Niger, and Bayelsa states were disqualified without valid reasons.

“They were simply told they weren’t eligible to vote. The ones who did vote are those they couldn’t disqualify because of their standing. But I’ve submitted my protest. My main concern is that she [Olukoju] was not eligible to contest in the first place. I trust the authorities will do justice.”

In response, NAWIS President Mariam Sulieman described the election as free and fair and urged all members to support the winner in advancing the goals of women and girls in sports.

Reacting to the petition, Sulieman stated that the Electoral Committee had not yet officially received any formal complaint. However, the Secretary of the AFN confirmed that a petition had indeed been submitted.

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