Four Nigerian professors appointed to key roles at varsity in Gambia

The Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (NTAC) has announced that four Nigerian professors have been appointed to key positions at the University of Applied Science, Engineering and Technology (USET) in The Gambia.

Dr. Yusuf Yakub, the Director-General of NTAC, made this announcement on Saturday in Abuja during a courtesy visit from The Gambia’s Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, Prof. Gomez Pierre.

Yakub said that the professional capabilities of the four Technical Aid Corps (TAC) volunteers prompted the establishment of a task force by the ministry’s Governing Council.

This task force was created to validate the current serving TAC volunteers in The Gambia and to fill the vacant positions at USET, ensuring the university’s smooth operation.

“The report of the task force says that the Gambian ministry has requested the endorsement from the Nigerian authorities for their appointment. The letter requesting endorsement, addressed to the Nigerian Mission in Kanifing and copied to the NTAC D-G, was received on Friday in Abuja,” Yakub stated.

The appointments were made following the impending end of the tenure of the current Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Samuel Owusu-Ofori, whose term concludes on September 30.

The professors appointed include Prof. Nazmat Surajudeen-Bakinde as Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Yusuf Abdulfatah as Vice-Chancellor (Academics), Prof. Akinlabi Oyetunji as Director of Research and Grants, and Prof. David Gundu as Director of Academic Planning and Quality Assurance.

Dr. Yakub explained that the deployment of these volunteers by NTAC to The Gambia earlier this year was part of Nigeria’s 24-month Technical Aid Corps scheme aimed at providing technical assistance to the country.

He said that the Gambian authorities’ decision to appoint Nigerian professors underscores the strong partnership between Nigeria and The Gambia in the fields of education and technical cooperation.

“The Gambia remains one of the first and highest country subscribers to the TAC Scheme, and it has, at the last count, received over 12,000 Nigerians as volunteers since the establishment of TAC in 1987. They include engineers, lawyers, and medical professionals,” he added.