Abbas noted that the programmes offered by NIPSS should not be limited to only officials in the Executive Arm of the government given their relevance to public administration
The Speaker made the call when the management of NIPSS, researchers, and partners paid him a courtesy visit in his office at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja on Tuesday.
NIPPS, located in Kuru, Jos, Plateau State, founded in 1979, is Nigeria’s think-tank and policy research institution, which has bureaucrats, private sector leaders, military officers, and medium-rank and senior civil servants in its alumni.
A statement signed by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Speaker, Musa Krishi quoted Mr Abbas as saying, “I want to request the DG to look at the National Assembly in your subsequent admissions because, with the kind of things that I saw for myself when I went to the (Presidential) Villa, I am sure that the National Assembly can also benefit a lot from NIPSS.
“I would like to see a situation where every year, an allocation of one or two slots would be made available to the National Assembly, to send its people to learn and share experiences.
“Experiences are not limited to the Executive; even the Legislature has a lot to share. By the time you blend the two – what the people from the Executive know and what the Legislators also know – I am sure that your subsequent programmes will be enriched. Please, take note of that.
“I want to also commend you and the Institute for all the good jobs you have been doing. We are indeed very proud of you. In your last visit to Mr President, I had the privilege of being there and I listened to your presentation. It is one of the best that I have ever heard from any academic institution. It was well-packed, it was well articulated and the message resonated well. I want to appeal to you to please continue to keep the flag flying.
“It is truly an institution that is giving a lot of inspiration and guidance to the government of this country,” the Speaker said.
The lawmaker also commended NIPSS for the official launch of its ‘Regional Citizenship Dialogue Programme for the Prevention and Response to the Unconstitutional Change of Governments in West Africa’ at a time when West Africa was particularly “in a state of turmoil.” He said: “What is happening to our dear sub-continent is really, very tragic.”
The Speaker also asked the DG of NIPSS to communicate the issues affecting the Institute to the House through the committee that oversights it, assuring that the parliament will do its job in the proposed amendments to the NIPSS Act.
Earlier in his remarks, the Director-General of the institute, Prof Ayo Omotayo, who led the delegation, said the institute would like to acquire adjourning lands to its premises located at Kuru, Jos, to further secure the place.
He urged the House to intervene on that and other issues, especially with budgetary allocation to acquire land around the Institute for better security. This, he noted, was based on security advice obtained by the institute.
