NTAC Director General Highlights President Tinubu’s Directive to Standardize Skills of Nigerian Youth for Global Certification
The Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (NTAC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have agreed to establish a joint committee to explore areas of cooperation and accelerate their mutual efforts to fulfill their mandates.
This decision was reached during a high-level meeting on Wednesday in Abuja, where the Director General of NTAC, Rt. Hon. Yusuf Buba Yakub, hosted Mrs. Pace Paola, the Interim Chief of Mission of the IOM in Nigeria.
In his remarks, Rt. Hon. Buba praised the IOM for its exceptional work in the Voluntary Humanitarian Repatriation (VHR) program globally, particularly for its support of refugees in Adamawa State and the entire Northeast region of Nigeria.
He emphasized that NTAC’s mandate aligns with similar humanitarian goals, especially in capacity building for citizens of African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries, in line with the United Nations’ South-South Cooperation framework.
The NTAC Director General also shared President Bola Tinubu’s directive to the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to ensure that the skills and potential of Nigerian youth are repackaged to meet global standards for certification, maximizing their contributions in countries where these skills are deployed. Reflecting on NTAC’s 37-year legacy, Buba highlighted that, beyond deploying technical manpower to recipient countries, the Federal Government has invested in building hospitals and schools to enhance healthcare delivery and support the development of local communities.
He emphasized that these initiatives are key to fulfilling NTAC’s mandate. Buba further revealed that in 2024 alone, NTAC has deployed eight groups of volunteers to various ACP countries, promoting legal migration and providing free humanitarian services. He also mentioned the agency’s intent to expand its scope to include a “skills-for-a-fee” program, which may require amendments to the NTAC Establishment Act, in line with the thinking of the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs.
During the meeting, Buba reiterated NTAC’s commitment to partnering with the IOM, stating: “We look forward to working with you to ensure our youth are well-prepared to legally migrate wherever their skills and talents are needed. We are also determined to deepen our commitment to countries that require our services.”
He acknowledged the challenges posed by currency fluctuations in the Naira-Dollar exchange rate, which have impacted NTAC’s ability to meet its obligations to some prospective beneficiary countries. However, he expressed optimism about leveraging the provisions of NTAC’s establishment law to secure external support to enhance service delivery.
Earlier, Mrs. Pace Paola expressed IOM’s readiness to collaborate with NTAC in addressing migration challenges, including improper migration processes, visa extortion, and misinformation about travel. She emphasized the need for institutional collaboration with the Nigerian media to effectively address these issues and commended Rt. Hon. Buba for his commitment to service delivery in his less-than-one-year leadership of NTAC.
The International Organization for Migration, established in 1951 in response to the post-World War II migration crisis, is now a key agency of the United Nations, addressing migration and refugee issues worldwide. This was stated in a press release by Nkem Anyata-Lafia, Special Assistant to the DG, NTAC, on Media and Publicity.
