FG evacuates 170 volunteers from Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda

The Federal Government on Sunday evacuated 170 Nigerian volunteers from Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

The volunteers who are professionals in different fields of learning were in the three East African countries under the Technical Aid Corps (TAC) scheme.

• Atiku asks Buhari, APC to apologise to Nigerians over loans
• Buhari has delivered 2015 campaign promises – Gov Bagudu

The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of TAC, Dr Pius Olakunle Osunyikanmi, said this yesterday.

He appreciated President Muhammadu Buhari for the evacuation.

He said the returnees who tested negative for COVID-19 before departure were expected to self-isolate for 14 days in line with the protocol put in place by the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

He said they were expected to take another test latest this week.

Osunyikanmi, who said the president did not relent until they were eventually evacuated, commended the attitudes of the volunteers for displaying maturity and sense of patriotism.

He said they were true ambassadors of the country in their various countries of assignment.

TAC is a Nigerian Federal government agency responsible for sharing of Nigeria’s know-how and expertise with other African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP). The scheme provides volunteers requested by beneficiary countries.

Since inception in 1987, Nigerian volunteers have served in many countries in Africa and Caribbean and Pacific countries.

About 7,000 Nigerians stranded in various countries across the world, as a result of the global lockdown occasioned by the Caovif-19 pandemic, had so far been evacuated.