THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
A prominent member of the Nigerian community in Germany has died. The death of Dr Daniel Yakubu Kutchin was announced by the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Germany (NIDOG) on Friday.
The nuclear physicist and IT expert was found dead on 7 August 2019 in his apartment in Monchengladbach, Germany. He was 57.
“With the death of Dr Kutchin, Nigerians in the Diaspora have lost a valuable member and our nation a patriot, who made meaningful contributions to the development of Nigeria,” the press release signed by Dr RosaLyn Dressmann and Femi Awoniyi, president and general secretary respectively, of NIDOG said.
“We will remember him not only for his passionate interest in the politics of his home state but also his involvement in projects to promote human capital development in our country.”
Dr Kutchin, a native of Ampang West, Mangu Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, studied Physics at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria, where he earned his first and second degrees. He obtained a PhD in Nuclear Physics at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University, Bonn, Germany.
After his post-doctoral graduation, he took courses in Information Technology and subsequently qualified as a “CISCO Certified Internetwork Expert”.
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Dr Kutchin worked with Siemens where he was a network specialist. He left the global technology giant in 2003 to become an independent consultant. The IT expert ended his professional career in August 2013 and subsequently dedicated himself to the cause of Nigeria.
Dr Kutchin, in his burning desire to enrich governance in Nigeria with the Diaspora experience, contested for the governorship of Plateau State at the primary election of the People’s Democratic Party in 2014. Although his attempt was not successful, Dr Kutchin’s interest in the development of the state did not in any way wane.
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As founder of the ‘Hillstone Foundation – The Diaspora from Central Nigeria’, Dr Kutchin worked with the German government under the auspices of the Dual Vocational Training (DVT) Partnership – to promote vocational education in Nigeria against the background of acute skills shortage in manufacturing and the trades at a time of high unemployment among young people.
“Dr Kutchin will be remembered by all who came in contact with him as a very pleasant personality who enjoyed a very cordial relationship with his compatriots in Germany,” NIDOG said.
Sola Jolaoso
