The minister of state, Budget and National Planning Clem Agba has inaugurated the governor council of the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER) with a charge on them to look for innovative ways for sustainable self-funding.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony yesterday in Abuja, Prince Agba asked the new board to contribute significantly from their wealth of knowledge and experiences to promote management excellence in Nigeria.
Prince Agba enjoined the board members to come up with research-based innovative policies, programmes and projects which will support the mandate of NISER toward improved productivity.
The council is required to provide policy guidelines for the institute, determine the overall policy of the institute and in particular, for its financial and operational programmes and for ensuring implementation of such policies and programmes.
The governing council members is composed of Dr Emmanuel Imafidon, chairman, with Dr. Hauwa Ibrahim , Prof. Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, Alhaji Sabiu Zakari, Mallam Kalli Gazali and Prof. Benedict N. Akanegbu as members.
Other members of the council are Mrs. Felicia Onibon, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment or representative; director-general of the institute; Statistician-general, National Bureau of Statistics; director of research, Central Bank of Nigeria; and director, macroeconomic analysis, Budget and National Planning.
appointments are on a part-time basis.
Agba asked the council to come up with ways of sustainable revenue generation for the institute, while government works on how to improve budgetary allocation to the institute.
“There is also clearly a need to seek novel alternative and sustainable funding sources, especially during his period of economic downturn and dwindling government revenue,” he stated.
The minister said they can achieve that target of self-funding by reaching out for collaboration or partnership with other ministries, departments and agencies, private sector actors, other research and academic institutions among others.
Chairman of the board Imafidon promised to work with the DG to achieve the organisation’s mandate. He assured the minister of planning of his commitment to ensure NISER becomes a research institute to reckon with. “We know your standard
Be assured of our equal commitments to achieve the Act that sets up NISER,” Dr Imafidon stated.
Also, director-general of NISER, Professor Antonia Taiye Simbine expressed confidence that the caliber of the board members will take NISER to a greater height.
Earlier, the permanent secretary in the ministry of budget and national planning Nebeolisa Anako urged the new appointees to use the opportunity to contribute their quota to the social-economic development of the nation.
