Vice President Yemi Osinbajo praises NIPPS, offers Funding Recipe

Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo has said that the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPPS) as a major national policy think – tank needs to look inwards and evolve creative strategies for raising resources to meet its funding needs. He made the observation lately when he received a delegation from the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru in a courtesy visit to his office.

Yemi Osinbajo averred that given the mandate of the institute as a think – tank for the nation, it should be able to explore opportunities to collaborate with the private sector towards generating the resources needed to sustain it. He mentioned that such organisations include leading academic institutions around the world that raise funding and support from their societies through development offices.

The Vice President promised to work with the institute to achieve their funding goals including establishing a development unit. According to him, he does not believe that funding should be a major challenge to the institute. Adding, the Federal Government will see what can be done to address some of the challenges confronting the institute. He also assured the delegation that their concern over the IPPIS issue would be resolved with the Accountant-General of the Federation, promising that he would work with the Director-General of the institute to proffer a lasting solution to the problem of funding.

While lauding the founding vision of the institute as a national resource centre, the Vice President commended the institute and personally confirmed the quality of its policy papers on national issues, particularly the report on the Boko Haram insurgency.

Speaking earlier, the Director-General of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, Tijani Mohammed Bande disclosed that the institute has produced over 1,700 important functionaries for Local, State and Federal Governments, who have added value to solving the nation’s problems.

Tijani Bande intimated the Vice President that the institute has been working with the Department for International Development (DFID) and has produced a report on how to combat the Boko Haram insurgency on both mid and long – term basis. He also informed the Vice President that the institute is having a problem with IPPIS and emphasized on the problem of funding as the major challenge.