*Tgnews MD, CEOs/ Directors of corporate and public organizations, Academics, individuals are set to be policy pacesetters
By; TOM GARBA, Yola
The prestigious National Institute of Policy and Strategy studies (NIPSS), Kuru Jos which was established in 1979 with the sole aim of serving as the centre for policy, advocacy, advice and training for Nigeria, West Africa and Africa in the context of a dynamic and changing world on Friday, inducted 43 participants cutting across the public and private sectors, and individuals who were asked to be policy managers and pacesetters.
The Chief Executive officer (CEO) and Managing Director of the General news (Tgnews), Tom Garba, a renowned online media platform in the North East and other captains of industries, directors of corporate organizations were inducted to earn the Policy Strategy and Leadership Course (PSLC) certificates.
During the opening ceremony, the Director General of NIPSS, Prof Ayo Omotayo who was represented by the institution’s Director of Studies, Prof Funmi O J. Paramalam told participants that the cardinal objective of the leadership course is to expand their horizon and understanding to policy matters.
According to her, the four weeks course is also to stretch their understanding of leadership issues in governance and in public sectors, improved their overall performance and enhance their productivity on service delivery to largest society.
While emphasizing that the course is gender balanced with 63% of male participants while 47% were females in attendance, Prof Paramalam opined that NIPSS amongst other things; conduct courses for top-level policymakers and executors drawn from different sectors of the country, with a view to expanding their outlook and perspectives and stretching their conceptual capacity and qualities of discernment and analyses, thereby helping to improve their overall performance in their different fields.
Paramalam reiterated that participants will get wealth of experience on the issues of policy formation, analysis and implementation with a cross fertilization of ideas that will sharpen the country’s policy implementation and monitoring.
She however, called on participants to take every part of the course serious as there is going to be serious assessment of topical issues and the institution will also give much attention on the character and conduct of every participant.
The coordinator, directing staff of the institution, Air Vice Martial A. I. Adamu, mni, formally welcomed the PSLC set of 49 and enjoined them to enjoy every ambience and the serene environment.
The institution is well positioned to train very imminent Nigerians on the fast pace of change and national development in countries across the world, especially over the past three decades.
According to him, the NIPSS has been driven by paradigm transitions towards, “thinking globally and acting locally”. Successful national growth and development have therefore been accomplished under inherently deft, visionary and people-oriented national policies and strategies.
He said the essence is to further explain that the Nigerian state has foreseen the need for qualitative input into the national policy making process by 1979, hence, the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS)) was established by Decree number 20 of 1979, now Cap N-51 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
The institute was conceived as a high-level institution with the primary objectives of serving as the nation’s foremost policy think-tank to develop a crop of top-class technocrats of high intellectual capacity, who will conceptualize and anchor the implementation of innovative and dynamic policy initiatives and strategies, critical for national development.
Over the years, NIPSS has served as a high-level centre for reflection, research and dialogue, where, academics of excellence, seasoned policy initiators and executors and other citizens of mature experience and wisdom drawn from all walks of life, meet to reflect and exchange ideas on the great issues of society, particularly as they relate to Nigeria and Africa within the context of a constantly changing world.
Our correspondent reports that the institute organizes and carries out an interdisciplinary basis, indebt research into the social, economic, political, security, scientific, cultural, and other problems facing Nigeria, with a view to contributing to the search for their solutions.
NIPSS conducts seminars, workshops, and other action-oriented programmes for leaders and potential leaders in the public service, the private sector, political organizations, professional bodies, and other groups, with a view to promoting, defining, and enhancing the appreciation for long-range national plans and objectives. And publishes books, journals, monographs, and other materials in the interest of the nation, as a contribution to knowledge and for a better national and international understanding.
The vision of the institution to an apex centre for policy, research and reflection for a better Nigeria and human society was world renowned scholars like Mr Osime Samuel who took Course 49 on briefing on report writing and presentation skills, writing policy papers and policy briefs modules .
While public policy analysis, policy implementation, resource imperativeness modules was well taken by Prof Amaya Adakai and Prof Fatai Aremu, took participants on policy implementation strategies, public policy: tracking monitoring and evaluation.
On Legal and institutional framework for policy formulation and implementation, erudite lawyer and a scholar of high repute, Prof C. Dakas took the modules to the interest of all participants.
Dr. Musa Umar, mni, exposed the modules of fundamentals of public policy and policy process and public policy decision making.
