Mba, Ihua, Ogidan, others conferred NIPSS, Kuru membership

Former Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Commissioner of Police Frank Mba; Executive Director, Africa Polling Institute, Professor Bell Ihua; and Chairman Global Consulting Group, Dr Steve Ogidan were among 89 notable Nigerians recently conferred membership (mni) of the prestigious National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Kuru Plateau State.

The conferment was at the graduation ceremony of the National Institute’s Senior Executive Course (SEC) 44, 2022, the flagship programme of the National Institute.

It would be recalled that CP Frank Mba served under three former Inspector Generals of Police as its image maker.

Having served as spokesman for the Lagos Police Command between 2007 and 2011, he then served as PPRO under IGP MD Abubakar (2012 to 2014), IGP MA Adamu (2019 to 2021), and IGP Usman Alkali Baba (2021 to 2022), before his secondment to NIPSS for the Senior Executive Course in February 2022.

Professor Bell Ihua has been recognized as one of Nigeria’s leading opinion researchers and public opinion pollsters, having previously served as CEO of the Ngozi Okonjo Iweala polling company, NOI Polls.

He has led over 300 surveys and polls over the last decade spanning thematic areas such as social cohesion, the state of internally displaced persons, motivations for Nigerians emigrating to Canada, irregular migration syndrome, emigration of Nigerian doctors and the skit-economy amongst Nigerian youths.

Ogidan has served as consultant and adviser to the Governments of Nigeria, Liberia, Uganda, Tanzania and South Africa at various times.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony, the Director General of the Institute, Professor Ayo Omotayo charged the mni recipients to always put the Nigeria first as they return to their places of service, and not forget the lessons learnt over the 10-month period of the course.

Similarly, President Muhammadu Buhari, represented by the Minister for Transport, Muazu Jaji Sambo, charged the new policy and strategy leaders to apply the capacity they have developed at NIPSS to serve the country.

He also noted that the government of President Buhari considers NIPSS as a major ally in providing evidence-based research to support public policy, and it is working on implementing the findings from the recently presented research report on how to strengthen local governance in Nigeria.

The newly crested MNIs were drawn from Nigeria’s Public Service, Military and Para-military Institutions such as the Army, Air Force, Navy, Nigeria Police Force, FRSC, NSCDC, Nigeria Customs Service and Nigeria Correctional Service, as well as the private sector.

Since its inception in 1979, NIPSS has remained Nigeria’s foremost policy think tank for bureaucrats, military officers, private sector leaders, medium to senior civil servants and policy makers.

The National Institute serves as a high-level centre for reflection, research and dialogue, where academics of excellence, seasoned policy initiators and executors, and other citizens of mature experience and wisdom drawn from all walks of life, meet to reflect and exchange ideas towards a better society.