Osinbajo Inaugurates NIPSS Endowment Fund Trustees

Hydra-headed challenges at national and global levels, such as poverty, inequality, and global warming alongside a world that is increasingly defined by technology, would require profound thinking and planning, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN).

He spoke at the Presidential Villa during the inauguration of the Board of Trustees of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS’) Endowment Fund and the institution’s Academic Advisory Committee.

“In the coming years, NIPSS will be called upon to interpret, predict and plan for a world literally on technology steroids, challenged by poverty and inequality and in a mortal battle with disastrous warming. This is the hydra nature of the challenge,” the VP in a statement by his media aide, Laolu Akande, declared at the event submitting that NIPSS therefore should not be constrained by resources.

Osinbajo continued “…in the coming years, it (NIPSS) will become perhaps even more challenged to do much more. The coming years for many of us who are watching and studying, I think it is very evident that what we see and the challenges (not just local but global) that we will face will be of the order that will require great introspection and thinking and a lot of planning.

“So, I believe that NIPSS and what we are trying to constitute today is one that will have to plan, predict and interpret the trends of the coming years. And those trends will be many. One will be the various challenges that the world will face aside from food security, the huge problems of poverty on a scale that appears to be increasing all across the world and I speak not just in our own region but globally.”

“And at the same time this is a world that is moving very quickly on technology, as a matter of fact, the world is moving literarily on technology steroids, it is moving so quickly that it is possible, if we are not at the cutting edge, to be left behind. And also, there will be problems (as we are seeing already) of Climate Change and all the implications for the future of our planet and the socio-economic circumstances of the world, and in particular, developing countries and of course, Nigeria,” the VP added.

Emphasizing the need for the adoption of new ways of funding research and related activities at the institution, the VP noted that “all the Think-Tanks in the world are reviewing their approaches to research and they are all thinking, what are we going to be required to do in the next few years.”

Responding on behalf of members of the two bodies inaugurated, the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, lauded the commitment of the Vice President, particularly in handling national assignments, noting that “I must commend the openness of the VP with me on national issues, he (the VP) never shies away to lead from the front when dealing with issues of national importance.”

The Sultan commended the VP and the NIPSS management for finding them worthy to serve, assuring that “we will not fail this nation in this assignment given to us, I can attest to the capability of every member of the board and I know we will put in our best.”

He pledged to support the present management of the institution to uplift its standards to the highest level comparable to the Council for Foreign Relations in the US, the UK’s Chatham House, reassuring that “we will work very hard and hit the ground running.”

While Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar chairs the board of the Endowment Fund, other members present at the inauguration were the Gbom Gwom Jos, Chief Jacob Buba Gyang; the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III; Chairman of Nigeria Communication Commission, Prof. Adeolu Akande; legal luminary, Yusuf Alli, SAN; Chairman of Overt Energy, Chief Marc Wabara; UNESCO Ambassador, Prof. Hilary Inyang and Mrs Sarah Jibril.

The other members of the board, Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiola; Prince Julius Adelusi Adeluyi, and Dr Kalu Idika Kalu, were absent at the inauguration.

The Academic Advisory Committee is chaired by Ambassador (Dr.) Martin Uhomoibhi and the members all of whom attended the inauguration are Prof. John Laah; Prof. Yemisi Fawole; Dr. Fatima Akilu; Prof. Abiodun Alao; Maj Gen I. M Idris (rtd) and Prof. Ike Nwachukwu.