The newly established Policy Think Tank and Intellectual Resource Centre of the ruling All Progress Congress, APC, The Progressive Institute, TPI has commenced operation with the setting up of its pioneer management in Abuja.
According to Mohammed Garba the chief of staff to the party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, “the National Working Committee, NWC of the party has approved the appointment of TPI management team with one director from each of the six geo political zone of Nigeria”. Garba added that the appointment was based on merit as their credentials were duly scrutinized. Three of the directors have been cleared with three others under scrutiny “.
“TPI is taking off as we are working on its take off funding right now. It’s going to be self sustaining within short period of time. The institute is working at a fast speed and it will be unveiled in the next couples of weeks”, He said.
The Director General, DG of the institute is Olanrewaju J. Adebayo, PhD. He was appointed in view of the pivotal role he played in the establishment of the Institute and against the background of his expertise in journalism, management consultancy and as a university Lecturer in public policy.
The Ogun State born public policy scholar is a
journalist, policy analyst, management Consultant, conflict management expert, and a development worker.
Dr. Adebayo holds the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Public Administration specialising in Public Policy Analysis and Comparative Government of the University of Benin, Nigeria in 1999; the MA degree in International Relations of the University of Keele, England, 1984, and the Higher Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication of the College of Journalism, Fleet Street, London in 1982. He obtained his Diploma in Journalism from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism in 1980.
He was at various times a reporter with the NTA, a freelance journalist with the West Africa Magazine, London. Dr. Adebayo was a lecturer in Public policy and Public Administration with the then Ogun State University (now Olabisi Onabanjo University). He was Chairman of the Department’s Post Graduate Committee which introduced the Master’s Degree programme in Public Administration of the University.
Dr.Adebayo was Head of the Political Education Department of the defunct Directorate for Social Mobilization in Ogun State. He introduced the Rural Development Network which was a critical platform for community and rural mobilisation and development.
The TPI DG was State Director with the National Orientation Agency in Ogun and Ondo States between 1994 to 2002, after which was appointed as the Executive Director in charge of Political and Civic Education in 2002 until 2010. During his tenure, he initiated and chaired the National Technical Committee on Civic Education. The Committee commissioned the Team of Experts that developed the Civic Education Manual. The Civic Education manual was the intellectual material that was utilized to develop Nigeria’s Curriculum on Civic Education. Dr Adebayo was a member of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council’s High Level Policy Team which developed the current civic education curriculum. The course was made compulsory in the Country in 2007 by the National Council on Education.
He also initiated and chaired the Government Civil Society Partnership Programme of the Federal Government. The Programme interfaced with the Civil society sector on behalf of the Federal Government and organised the first and so far the only Retreat for the sector in the Country. It was under this programme that a Community Governance Peace Building Programme was executed in the Niger Delta
Dr. Adebayo was Executive Secretary, Centre for Applied Policy and Social Advocacy between 2010 to 2013. During this period, he secured and supervised a British Council funded programme on Peace Building in the North Eastern part of the Country.
Until his appointment, Adebayo was the Director General of the Institute for Governance and Leadership Studies in Africa, an International Non-State Intellectual and Professional Resource Centre with focus on governance and leadership training and research.
Other members of the management include Prof. Ademola Abass(Administration, Malam Muhammad Sanusi Kiru (Training and Programmes) and Barrister Ego Zuma who is the Director of legal services.
The Progressive Institute is an unprecedented contribution by the APC to strengthen its internal governance system through quality training, enhance the leadership recruitment process of the party while also promoting its policy support role through research. The Institute is recognized by the Federal Ministry of Education, the Federal Ministry of Justice, the National Board for Technical Education and is chartered by the Corporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria.
