Some staff of the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research, Ibadan, have urged the Federal Government to extend the tenure of the outgoing Director-General of the Institute, Dr. Folarin Gbadebo-Smith in view of his outstanding performance.
The members of staff of NISER described Gbadebo-Smith’s four-year-tenure in office as unprecedented, saying, the NISER management had re-positioned the institute to reckoning in policy making within the period under review.
A statement made available to journalists by the group, signed by Dr Adebimpe Adepoju, read, “Capacity and skill gaps are being filled since he (Gbadebo-Smith) assumed office. The DG has helped to re-orientate NISER to lean towards a blend of scholarly research and public policy focus.
“The core mandate of NISER is ‘to conduct socio-economic research,’ with the goal of influencing policy making and policy decisions. This Dr. Gbadebo-Smith achieved in his first tenure, tremendously well.
“Dr. Gbadebo-Smith was specifically charged to enact reforms that would turn NISER around and make it relevant in its functions in the Nigeria’s policy and decision-making space, as well as in the global space.”
The statement read that his administration came with reforms and strategies that led to the creation of new departments in the Institute.
“The first is the Research Management Department with a core mandate to manage the research process, control and improve the quality of research output. The second is the Knowledge Management Department with a core function to co-create knowledge products from research output, which are relevant for public policy and decision making in government.
“KMD serves to drive NISER’s external functions including policy engagement, external collaborations and brand management. It has the ICT and library divisions as critical divisions driving knowledge acquisition and technological relevance. These two new departments are designed to help NISER achieve a blend of scholarly research (through the RMD) and public policy relevance through KMD.
“NISER campus is now a more enabling environment for research. Things are looking up and it will be a great disservice to the institute and its well-meaning staff if Dr Folarin Gbadebo-Smith is denied opportunity to finish up these laudable initiatives.”
Smith, who has a background in Dentistry, was Chairman, Ikoyi/Obalende LCDA, Lagos State between 2003- 2007. He later bagged a Masters degree in Public Policy as a Mason Fellow at the Harvard School of Governance between 2007 -2008.
