The Director-General of the Corps, Yusuf Yakub, disclosed this on Sunday in Abuja, at a ceremony to receive the volunteers.
Yakub said the Corps will continue to send more volunteers to not only African countries but also outside the continent, targeting volunteers in 50 countries in the next three years.
“This is a continuous thing and we’ll continue to send volunteers not only to Africa but our target is to make sure we have volunteers in 50 countries in the next three years,” he said.
While the volunteers served in various capacities, he pointed out that some of them were professors while others were Ph.D. holders.
He noted, “We are receiving some of our volunteers that served the country in various capacities. All the 23 volunteers we are receiving today are either Professors or Ph.D. holders in different areas of specialisation who have served in Uganda for two years.
“They have been very good ambassadors of Nigeria, when I visited Uganda, there were great testimonies because the people of Uganda are seeing Nigeria through them. They have exhibited a high standard of performance in their area of duty and also in their day-to-day interaction with the people of Uganda.”
The director further stressed that no challenge will deter it from progressing its plans of sending volunteers to serve the nation.
He stated, “This is a continuous thing and we’ll continue to send volunteers not only to Africa but our target is to make sure we have volunteers in 50 countries in the next three years.
“I don’t think we have any challenge that will deter us from achieving what we want to achieve, we can do whatever resources available to us.
“Because they have done well in their area of service, particularly there is a Professor in one of the universities that is one of the volunteers who had invented from plants fiber like banana and other plants to produce building materials for that country. So, because our volunteers have showcased wonderfully their services these countries are asking us to renew their stay.”
He, however, maintained that it is against its policy to renew their stay as volunteers in the countries but the countries are free to engage them on a contract basis, adding that they are willing to support those volunteers that have been offered.
One of the volunteers, an Associate Professor of Clinical Pharmacy, Sharon Ibinoba, said “I served as the Dean in one of the universities I was posted. Going there made me discover that when you follow through the ranks and files, it helped me to perform well, and to put structures on the ground.
“If I could show comments of students and staff when I was leaving, it made me happy and worth it. It is a bit challenging but it kept Nigeria in a better light. Going out there also made me appreciate some things in Nigeria, we thought we were probably not doing enough, but we have structures on the ground that if we implement Nigeria will be better.”
