PPA MEETS DG NIPSS:
NIPSS IS HIGHER THAN UNIVERSITIES -DG NIPSS...NIGERIAN PRESS, THE FREEST
By Justin Jattim
Chief Amb Nanyah Andrew Daman, Jarumin Jat, and Group Managing Editor of the NewsGate Magazine as well as the Chairman of the Plateau Publishers Association (PPA) led the Executive Council and Members of PPA to a courtesy call and Media Parley to Prof Ayo Omotayo, the newly appointed Director-General of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies Kuru and his Management Team.
In his remarks, Chief Amb Nanyah Andrew Daman said the association is requesting partnership and retainers with the prestigious institute in the dissemination of information about its activities to critical stakeholders and the nation.
Daman said as Members of the fourth estate of the realm, they own both print and online publications carrying out businesses with the sole aim of educating, informing, and entertaining the general public at a moderate cost. Daman on behalf of the association heartily congratulates the Director-General of NIPSS on his well-deserved appointment.
In his response Prof Ayo Omotayo, the Director-General of NIPSS said he holds Publishers in high esteem because it has been a lifelong dream to be a Publisher. He said Publishers are very useful in the dissemination of information that has been researched and processed.
The DG recounted his experience at publishing when he consulted for the Lagos State Government to publish the "Rural Echo" publication.
Prof Omotayo harped that the PPA and the fourth estate of the realm are critical stakeholders in the Nigerian project. He called on the media to know their roles as stakeholders in discharging their duties efficiently with the principles of justice, consciousness, honesty, and fairness.
The DG hinted that the Institute's administrators will be truthful and ready to put the institution on track to the admiration of all. He promised to partner with the PPA as it was reasonably requested
On the development of the nation, the DG said if only 30% of the policy prescription by NIPSS, Nigeria will benefit immensely as policies are available to solve all problems bedeviling Nigeria. He confirmed that NIPSS participants bring out and research very noble ideas.
Prof Ayo Omotayo the Director-General of NIPSS reiterated the belief that NIPSS is bigger than universities because they engage with the wider world and they produce policies that become knowledge.
The DG promised to operate an open-door policy while Publishers and Journalists must be integrals in the discharge of their duties by publishing issues that are factual.
The soft-spoken and tall DG proudly announced that three Alumni of the Institute were recently appointed as Federal Permanent Secretaries and a Solicitor General.
The amiable DG harped that the PPA will play a vital role in the Institute's CSR and will also work assiduously with the host communities to influence the uplifting and citing of educational and health services to them. He emphasized that this is a new NIPSS, a transparent NIPSS, a people-oriented NIPSS, and a result-oriented NIPSS.
In a media parely after the courtesy call, when asked what policy or strategy NIPSS has proffered on the insecurity bedeviling the nation, Prof Pam Dung Sha hinted that NIPSS in 2020 sent a policy advice directly to Mr President.He said it was a security document that that even the security heads had no knowledge of but hinted on infrastructural development, job creation and education to solve the problems. He said the policy security document was reviewed in 2021 and in 2022 NIPSS will cash in on the innovative ideas of Prof Ayo Omotayo, the newly appointed Director General to speak on the changing security situations.Prof Sha concluded that everyone must be on deck as we need a holistic approach for peace to reign.
Lending his voice on the issue of insecurity and the possible ways out,Omotayo said in a conference, it was agreed that the issues of security should not only be holistic but young fertile minds must be trained and engaged. The DG personally believes that the major problem of insecurity is lack of employment, thus,Government should engage the restive youths."We must educate our children and get them jobs, as the issues of insecurity has to do with the Libyan crisis", the DG re-emphasized.
The visionary DG asserted that the Nigerian Press is the freest in the contemporary democracy globally as they write things that may be frowned at in the US but acceptable in Nigeria. He appealed to Nigerians to remain calm as the Egyptians we see today, we shall not see them tomorrow.He called on the Nigerian Government to always press the button of NIPSS when there are problems.
Responding on the 2023 General Elections and the role of NIPSS over a hitch free and tension free elections not to truncate democracy by engaging critical stakeholders to nip in the board any possible uprising,the Chief Executive Officer of NIPSS said by the competitive nature of politics, there must be tension and anxiety but after elections the tension will calm down.
He continued that NIPSS has made recommendations to political parties through the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) on how to run their political party's activities transparently to avoid unnecessary tension.He believes democracy has come to stay in Nigeria and no more coup de'tat in Nigeria as all military services now know their boundaries.
Comments
Post a Comment