Seriki Adinoyi in Jos
President Muhammadu Buhari has identified the importance of technology globally, saying that with the development, Nigeria cannot remain where it is today in terms of development.
The president spoke yesterday at the graduation ceremony of Senior Executive Course (SEC) 41 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos.
Represented by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) Buhari said that Nigeria could not afford to remain where she is going by what is available in technology today.
He said: “The opportunities are great. We can simply leap-frog and there is so much room for leap – frogging and we don’t have to evolve through the decades again. We are already positioned to take advantage of technology to move the development further.
“Agriculture is another sector that is being transformed by digital technology. There are about 530 varieties of 37 crops developed out of 2014. Cassava yields have increased by 60% in the past decades. It is clear that agriculture cannot remain at the subsistence level again it is in many parts of the country.”
Buhari advised NIPSS generally, not the graduating 66 participants, that the problem of Nigeria has never been a shortage of ideas. “There is no policy that is not somewhere that has not been thought of. But it is just lying down somewhere, but the problem has been that of implementation.
“That is the reason by my respective view that NIPSS must graduate from a think – tank ‘to a do – tank.’ It is time.
According to him, policy is not the issue but at a point the implementation of recommendation is the issue.
“So, I want to urge NIPSS that our consequent studies must be based on the need to attain some level of understanding on how to implement, on how to get things done. And once you are able to get this done, I am sure, substantial difference will be made”, the president added.
Buhari congratulated all the graduating participants particularly the NGO, the development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) under the Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health at Scale.
In his welcome address, the Director-General of the institute, Prof. Habu Galadima, thanked the president, particularly, the vice president, who has always given NIPSS the desired attention, and the participants for their good conduct throughout their 10-month stay in the institute.
