Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has tasked the Nigerian Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPSS, Kuru, Plateau State, to adopt a new approach to research that would provide solutions for the challenges of the future.
Prof. Osinbajo gave the task on Thursday while inaugurating the Board of Trustees of the NIPSS Endowment Fund and the NIPSS Academic Advisory Committee at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Pointing out that the best and foremost think-tanks in the world are reviewing their approaches to research and thinking about what they are going to do in the next few years, the vice president said the NIPSS has an opportunity to strive to become one of the best thought leaders in the world.
“The think-tanks that are best known all over the world are the places where the creative ideas and the solutions of the future are birthed.
“I believe very strongly that NIPSS has an opportunity to become one of the leading and foremost thought leaders in the next few years.
“I think that there is a real opportunity now to do so, and it’s because there is so much that is new; there is so much that people do not know about.
“There is so much the world itself does not know about and I think that this is the right opportunity for NIPSS to really take on the mandate and use that mandate creatively, not just to influence Nigeria and to prepare Nigeria for the future, but to prepare our region and prepare the world for the future.”
Interpret trends. Ni
Urging the committees to work diligently to meet the challenges confronting the world, Prof. Osinbajo said part of their assignment would be “to plan, predict and interpret the trends of the coming years,” which he said would be many.
According to the vice president, one of the many expected trends would be the various challenges that the world would face.
“We are going to, aside from food security, huge problems of poverty at a scale that appears to be increasing all across the world—and I speak not just for our own region—all across the world,” he stated.
Technology steroids
On the adoption of technology, Prof. Osinbajo said it “would appear as the world is moving literarily on technology steroids” and advised the NIPSS to ensure that it is not left behind.
“We are moving so quickly that it is possible that if we are not at the cutting edge to be left behind.
“Also, there would be problems; we have seen already climate change and all the implications for the future of our planet and for the future of our socio-economic circumstances of the world and in particular developing countries and of course, Nigeria.”
Sourcing funds
Reminding the NIPSS of the difficulty it would continue to face by relying solely on public funding, Prof. Osinbajo said it was absurd to think the foremost think-tank in Nigeria would be run like a civil service institution.
That is not how think tanks are run; there is no major think tank in the world that is run like that, and the reason is because the independence of the think tank is also important.
“And I speak now of academic independence. Academic independence is not just the freedom of speech. That’s not what is even important.
“It is more the ability to do unconstrained research; unconstrained research without the constraint of resources.
“We should not be constrained by resources given the enormity of the task that the institution has.
“This is why I think that the role of the Board of Trustees is so well cut out.
“We expect that the board, aside from everything else, will lead in looking for resources that will put NIPPS in a position to able to face the challenges of the future and those resources are mainly financial resources.”
He said that financial resources would enable the NIPSS, not just do its own research, but also collaborate with think-tanks all over the world.
Funding critical
In his remarks, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, who chairs the Board of Trustees of the NIPSS Endowment Fund, noted that funding is critical to enable the Institute to continue to deliver on its mandate.
The Sultan pledged that the Board would begin its work immediately and assured the Nigerian government of the commitment of the board to raise funds for the NIPSS.
“What we are going to do, besides raising funds, which is the most critical; we cannot do anything without funds, and like the vice president rightly said, we cannot leave everything to government.
“We want government to use the funds for problems that are very close to the common man, while we too should do our own and proffer solutions to those in authority to make this country a better.
“I assure the vice president and the government of this country that we will work for hard. We will hit the ground running as they say. We will have discussion among board members on how to start this project.” The Sultan said.
Introducing members of the Board of Trustees and those of the Academic Advisory Committee, the Director-General of the NIPSS, Prof. Ayo Omotayo expressed confidence that they would deliver on the mandate.
The Board of Trustees of the NIPSS Endowment Fund has 11 members, among whom are the Sultan of Sokoto; the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III; the Gbong Gwom Jos, Dr. Jacob Gyang Buba; the Oba of Lagos; Oba Rilwanu Akiolu; and Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu.
The NIPSS Academic Advisory Committee, chaired by Dr. Martin Uhomoibhi, has seven members, including Maj. Gen. Inuwa Idris, Prof. Ike Nwachukwu, Prof. John Laah, Prof. Yemisi Fawole, Prof. Biodun Alao and Dr. Fatima Akilu.
Olusola Akintonde
