BACKGROUND
The Directorate of Research is mandated to organize and carry
out, on an interdisciplinary basis, intellectual support for those charged
with making and implementing policy for Nigeria, in-depth research into the
social, economic, political, security, scientific, cultural, and other problems
facing the country, and to formulate and present, in usable form, the available
options for their solution. This, no doubt, is derived from the institute's
mandate, which is “to serve as a high-level center of reflection, research, and
dialogue where academics of intellectual excellence, policy initiators and
executors, and other citizens with a high level of practical experience and
wisdom drawn from different sectors of national life in Nigeria would meet to
reflect and exchange ideas on the great issues of society, particularly as they
relate to Nigeria and Africa, in the context of the dynamics of a constantly
changing world.”
Within
the last five years, the Directorate of Research has carried out several
workshops and conferences culminating in the publication of six (6) books
arising from these conferences. The Directorate has also, as part of its
mandate, consistently organized the Distinguished Annual Lecture, where outstanding
personalities are invited to speak on topical national issues.
Academic staff of the directorate have also been
involved in the activities of the studies directorate where fellows are invited
to present lectures, supervise participants' essays, attend plenaries, and also
make interventions where called upon. Academic staff also participate in the study tours of the senior executive course, where they handle the academic
aspects of the tours. They are also involved in activities of the NIPSS Consult,
where they handle some modules of the Policy, Leadership, and Strategy Course
(PLSC).
Academic staff of the directorate have equally
participated in conferences and workshops organized by other institutions and
organizations both within and outside the country. Staff of the Directorate of
Research are also involved in the annual Crisis Game simulation aimed at
exposing participants to modern techniques of conflict and crisis resolution in
order to provide practical skills that would be useful in tackling actual
conflict and crisis resolution.
The
Research Directorate has been involved in collaborative activities with other
institutions both within and outside the country towards achieving its mandate. Among institutions collaborated with are the following:
a. Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution
b. development Research and Project Centre (dRPC)
Kano
c. Daily Trust
d. The Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn
(PERL) and Learning, Evidencing and Advocacy Partnership (LEAP), which is a
pillar of the DFID-funded public sector reform programme
