Shettima tasks NIPSS on partnerships for national development
The National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) has been charged to strengthen its collaboration with government institutions, the private sector, and international partners in order to sharpen its role in national development. Vice President Kashim Shettima gave the charge at a two-day Stakeholders Conference with nominators of participants for the Senior Executive Course […]
The National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) has been charged to strengthen its collaboration with government institutions, the private sector, and international partners in order to sharpen its role in national development.
Vice President Kashim Shettima gave the charge at a two-day Stakeholders Conference with nominators of participants for the Senior Executive Course (SEC) and other strategic partners, at the State House Auditorium, Abuja on Thursday.
The Vice President told the Institute that it must continue to reform towards meeting Nigeria’s leadership and policy needs.
The Vice President, who was represented by the Special Adviser to the President on Economic Affairs, Office of the Vice President, Dr. Tope Fasua, stressed that feedback from stakeholders was necessary to improving the quality, discipline, and impact of the SEC programme.
He explained that the gathering is not only about nomination to the SEC programme, saying it is also about feedback and partnership for development as the Senior Executive Course has, for decades, served as a premier platform for developing leaders who shape national policy and institutional transformation. “But we must continually ask: how can we make it even more effective?”
Shettima said while there were calls to broaden entry requirements into the course, inclusivity must not come at the cost of excellence, adding that “Flexibility must not be confused with compromise. The SEC is designed for those at near-peak leadership levels — policy shapers, decision influencers, and institutional drivers.”
The Vice President also addressed challenges such as discipline, health concerns of nominees, and the growing demand for slots, noting that discipline remained “non-negotiable” and urged nominating institutions to ensure candidates are physically and mentally prepared for the rigours of the course.
In his keynote address titled “Reimagining Leadership Development in Nigeria”, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Professor Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, urged the Institute to continuously reassess its mandate and methods in line with national goals.
He described NIPSS as Nigeria’s premier leadership institution with a unique charge to train policy shapers on matters of presidential importance, adding that this placed on it “a huge, vital responsibility to train especially public sector actors to look after the strategic interests of the nation.”
Bande recommended a review of the SEC curriculum, more interactive lectures, and stronger participation in study group work and called for better coordination to overcome delays and duplication, while insisting that funding for NIPSS should remain a national responsibility rather than depend heavily on paid programmes.
On nominations, he suggested officers at deputy director level with at least three years left in service should form the pool, to ensure maximum value from the programme.
For Bande, leadership training at NIPSS must align with Nigeria’s constitutional and policy aspirations of building “a free and democratic society, a just and egalitarian nation, and a land of bright opportunities for all citizens.”
Earlier in his welcome remarks, Director-General of NIPSS, Professor Ayo Omotayo, underscored the importance of the conference as a platform for structured stakeholder engagement.
He said the quality and strategic alignment of nominees was central to the success of the SEC programme.