Home-grown technology will best address our fight against insurgency- Omotayo, DG NIPSS

Director-General of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Prof Ayo Omotayo, says Nigeria is on the path to recovery by President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies. In this interview with David Lawani, the helmsman of NIPSS noted, among others, that new opportunities are being explored daily using digital platforms to create jobs and empowerment for the youth

How has the journey been since the assumption of office as NIPSS boss?

I assumed office at the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies on March 2, 2022, and I won’t say it is smooth sailing. Some people were not expecting a non-MNI to be appointed as the director-general, but the former president, Muhammadu Buhari, found me worthy to be appointed, and starting was not too easy. I had to learn the ropes quickly. Our programmes are policy and strategy that can change the narrative for Nigerians. So, to a large extent, I believe that we have not reached where we are expected to reach, but by and large, we are on track. We are moving as fast as we can, and I am sure we will reach where we are expected to reach very shortly.

What have you achieved since you came on board?

When I came to Abuja, we didn’t have a presence, even though we had an existing building. I learnt the building has been left unused for 17 years. If we really want to be effective, NIPSS needs a forward base now. We had to find ways and means of resuscitating this building. At least, it is not the best building anybody can have, but it is not the worst. It allows us to cut costs. We don’t have to be meeting in a hotel. If we didn’t have this office, it would have been in a hotel for us to meet. This is one of the testaments of what we have done since coming on board the train to reposition the organisation and ensure it can attend to government especially when the Presidency wants us to look into some issues for them. So, for that, they don’t have to start looking for us. At least we have this effective place as our location whenever anybody wants to contact us. And to other agencies and Nigerians that we service.

You met Mr. President recently, shortly after graduating from Senior Executive Course 46, and you placed some demands on infrastructure to digitalize the economy. How did you see the terms in light of their realisation?

Digital economy and youth empowerment and sustainable job creation. And Mr. President, in choosing that theme, had the mind for certain things. He is always bothered about this youth employment. He talks about jobs for the youth. And knows that traditional jobs are no longer available. The world is very dynamic. Things are changing. Our youths are not the type we had years back. That is why he set up that theme. For the whole of the 10 months, that is what we should be doing: deep research. So, he hoped that we would come out with revolutionary outcomes that could make Nigeria use the digital economy to create jobs for the youth. He felt satisfied listening to our reports with his body language. The research for 10 months brought out new things that can enable us to use the digital economy to empower our youths. The digital economy is basically for the youth; it is their economy, in a way. They are the ones that get their news from the newspapers. Their socialization starts with social media. They are always on one digital platform or the other, different from those of us whom they refer to as old school. So, most of the outcome has been about ensuring that our youths use the digital platform more effectively for socialisation and effective participation in the economy. From that report, we have shown that the infrastructural deficit was going down, especially for those who live in rural areas, who are not partaking and cannot partake in the digital economy if he didn’t extend digital infrastructure to these places. Many of the MDAs that are directly associated with that have also made some recommendations regarding how this can be done. It is just for us to reinforce what they are trying or have started to do. For example, I read somewhere that they said they would erect 7000 telecom towers in rural areas because about 60 to 65 percent of Nigerians live in rural areas. If the digital economy grows, we will not only support digital infrastructure in urban areas but also have to think about it because there is nothing bad about living in rural areas. And from there, you can partake in anything happening in the world.

Are there challenges your organization faces that you think Mr President needs to intervene?

At NIPSS, we have developed many policies for different sectors. That is something that even the various MDAs don’t know about. He didn’t want us to be an archival institute. Just collecting policies and strategies that are not even known to other MDAs. He encouraged us from the onset to push out the products. We manufacture policies and strategies. We also train those who implement. Those who will lead. We develop capacity, and he encourages us along that line. People will say money is a challenge that I should talk more about. In 2024, no sector in the Nigerian economy was challenged in terms of money because Mr President has just done structural economic reforms, and it is bound to have some negative consequences in the first place. But now, everybody sees it despite all the noise. Those policies are beginning to work. I will not say that we are challenged. We have not asked for money that President Tinubu has not given us. But probably, if you ask in the morning, you may not get it, but eventually, you will get the money to do what we need to do. But can there be better funding for NIPSS? Yes. We will undoubtedly tick it to broaden our scope.

What plans are there for the future? We had the likes of the current National Security Adviser as your alumni. What level of relationship exists now in terms of deploying strategies to defeat insurgencies and other security threats to the nation?

For us in NIPSS, we have had two or three brainstorms and conferences on national security, but you know the security issue is very volatile and sensitive. The various policies and strategies NIPSS has given out have been implemented based on whether it will work in those circumstances. However, because security strategies are changing, it depends on the parameters change if you make a recommendation today. So, it means you also have to keep changing. Having someone like the current NSA, Mr Nuhu Ribadu, is a whole lot of plus for Nigeria because not only does he understand policies, but he also understands strategies. They are doing a lot to stabilize Nigeria in terms of the security challenges we have. If you look back, there was a time when the FCT was under siege or threatened by insurgencies. There was a bombing that took place here. But since he became the NSA, you will see that he has brought a different perspective to it, and he is handling his assignment differently from others. We are seeing the results of what he is doing. Those who are hell-bent on causing trouble will continue to face the wrath of the consequences of their actions. You might still see pockets of disturbances here and there, but nobody can say that Nigeria has been tending towards a failed state since he became the NSA. Nobody is talking about it anymore. It is now a different perspective altogether, but I am sure given some more time, they will overtake. He coordinates well with the military. He said there is a need for non-kinetic intervention, too; you can see that playing out all the time. In a few more years, we will be safer than now if we can implement some of the policies he is bringing out now.

What plans are on the ground in also using technology to nip in the bud activities of these kidnappers and violent crime instigators in our communities?

For security, we have different types of technologies that can be used. But you will agree that Nigeria, over time, has not been the producer of new technologies. We are technology consumers because past regimes may not have seen the need for home-grown development of technologies to tackle some of those things. Since we have money, we can always buy proven technology from other countries. But for us at NIPSS, we have started to think differently. Let’s have some home-grown technology that we can also deploy to help, not buying in dollars to deploy to fight insecurity further. We are on the verge of proposing a cyber-security portal where people can report cyber-crimes and, of course, the understanding of cyber-security warfare at a very low level in Nigeria. We are pushing the agenda. Organizations responsible for our security also improve the capacity of their men. Or recruit their younger ones to fight cyber-crimes. So, there are all kinds of crimes everywhere, but there is none that technology cannot fight. You have a phone, for example. You can use it to track a kidnapper. We just came up with the concept of the sky high. That is NIPSS coming up with it. A technology component is in place. We are also looking for organisations with the technological capacity to develop with us. Based on that, we are not a research institute, but we can always design concepts and say this is the way to sky high. It is like a drone that can identify an individual carrying a weapon. If there are 30 to 50 people in a place, and you don’t know who the kidnapper is, mainly the kidnapper is going to carry a weapon with metal. This sky-high can identify the person holding it, and the security operatives will make a decision to either take the person out or do something with it. These are ways and means that technology can be further deployed to fight insurgencies and other violent crimes. Also, some don’t even have anything to do. They are recruited, and their minds are turned around for bad.

How is admission into NIPSS? There is talk out there that your organization is meant for the wealthy in society. Does this mean the less privileged cannot attend the school for capacity building?

It is wrong. NIPSS is meant to serve all Nigerians. The mistake most people make is that they see NIPSS as a place where only one course runs. We have the senior executive course. It is the most attractive. The senior executive course has been running for 46 years. And the products always excel wherever they go because everybody will be looking at you if you excel. You cannot come to NIPSS and receive training for 10 months without being proud to be a Nigerian. Those who come to end up being more patriotic than other Nigerians, and because they are more patriotic than other Nigerians, although that is what I think or believe, they do their work diligently. They carry out their duties differently, having received that kind of training. They see that Nigerians are just Nigerians. If you come to NIPSS, you will erase some notions from your mind about Nigeria.

How sensitive and gender friendly is NIPSS to females?

For us at NIPSS, we follow all the federation rules, including that 30 percent of those who work for us should be women. We have tried to follow it. We don’t always meet up, but we are conscious of it. For any admission we are making, we will reserve 30 percent for women, and since I became DG, I have established a gender centre. That is also associated with our belief in gender equality. So we gave a pride of place to the women. There is a work we just concluded for Women Achievers across other sectors. We believe once that is published, it will guide younger generations to the girl child. I know that there are women who have succeeded along this line. They should see these women as role models and then also see excellence as a virtue to pursue, and that their sex as gender will not stop them from achieving whatever they set their minds on.

What message of patriotism do you have for Nigerians?

I lived in America for 10 years before returning home, and while in America, I travelled to several countries. I understand how the American system runs. It is a capitalist society based on a liberal democratic system. Nigeria chose that path based on the kind of constitution we have. With that setup, everyone must be ready to work as hard as possible to succeed in a liberal democracy. There would be guarantees from the government, but it is a free market economy where everybody must work hard for what they will get. Nigeria has been subsidizing fuel for a long time, and you can subsidize fuel at a certain level. It is not perpetual. We have subsidise fuel and energy for 50 years, and the system became corrupted. A few people benefitted so much from it. They took too much from the common patrimony ahead of others. One of the best things that has happened to Nigeria is the removal of fuel subsidies. It has allowed us to see where we are as a nation. With subsidies in place, Nigeria was living on borrowed time. The challenges we have had in the past few months have been due to the removal of the fuel subsidy. Nigeria was going to go down financially, and as a proud and patriotic Nigerian, I knew the President had made the right decision. Still, it was excruciating and politically risky. He thinks I will do it if it is the right thing. The America and Europe that Nigerians run to don’t live on fuel subsidies. To have a good society, you must first face reality. Nobody has the advantage of feeding off subsidies to the detriment of others. A few people were feeding fat on the subsidy, making it difficult for Nigeria to be on the real terms of economic reform. NIPSS advocated for this, and we know that with time, everything will stabilize. Petrol is by itself coming down. I know fuel prices will decrease when the crisis between Russia and Ukraine ends. Crude will come down further, and petrol will go down further. So, the government can use the money it is saving from subsidies, including those it has been paying to the wrong hands, to blow the economy. Look at the roads from Calabar to Lagos. People say it is not necessary. But, of course, a country needs that kind of link. There are a lot of opportunities in all parts of Nigeria that people don’t know about or cannot take advantage of. They forgot that the America we discussed today has such kinds of roads. They have a high 95 that runs from Florida beyond New York. They are on the Atlantic seaboard. They have a high 75 that runs from one part of the country to the other. There is a road they call High 20. If you live in the high 20s in Texas, you will travel through seven states in America. And it will take you to South Carolina. That kind of integration has enabled America to seek opportunities anywhere. Look at that vision that Mr President is putting in place. He is trying to liberalize the economy. Nigerians should not sit back and wait not to participate like they are waiting for it to fail. Nigeria has gone beyond failure; the earlier we make the right decisions, the better for everybody. Look at what we came up with in the digital economy. All that Nigerians need to do is to plug in. If you have skills, you can fall in. If you have 10 10-minute skits, you can be paid N10,000 for people watching your skits. With that N10k per 30 days, you are earning N300k monthly. That is probably the salary of a director. So it opens opportunity up. So, there is hope for Nigeria. It will not make sense to non-Nigerians. Nigeria is not a bad country. We may be challenged now, but it doesn’t make us a bad country. Let our youth be key to the opportunities that we presently have. Don’t let us believe that the government must feed us. The work of government is to provide opportunities, and you cannot force people to choose a particular path. They must follow the chance that they have. So, the government is trying to create opportunities in the digital sector, creative, marine, and mining sectors. Our youth can take opportunities based on their talents. And what they desire to become later in the future.