Dr Jacob Tsado, former Institute Editor at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, has charged participants of the Senior Executive Course (SEC) 48 to internalise strategic thinking as a lifelong responsibility rather than a ceremonial outcome of training.
Delivering a lecture titled: “Historical Development of the National Institute: Origins, Evolution and Contemporary Relevance” to the participants, Dr Tsado reflected on the historical foundations of the Institute, describing NIPSS as a product of national introspection and deliberate foresight. He noted that the Institute was established to provide a space where power could be examined critically, assumptions interrogated, and long-term national interests prioritised over short-term pressures.
He reminded the participants that NIPSS was never intended to function as a routine training centre, but as a strategic conscience for the nation, bringing together leaders from diverse sectors to think beyond institutional silos. According to him, the value of the Institute lies not in certificates or titles, but in the quality of judgment and restraint its alumni demonstrate in moments of national importance.
Dr Tsado emphasised that institutional memory plays a critical role in governance, warning that when the founding logic of strategic institutions fades, decision-making risks becoming reactive and managerial. He challenged SEC 48 participants to see themselves as carriers of that memory, with a duty to sustain the intellectual and ethical standards upon which the Institute was built.
He concluded by urging the participants to allow the NIPSS experience to shape how they approach leadership, policy choices, and national service, stressing that the true impact of the Institute is ultimately measured by how its alumni think and act long after they leave Kuru.
