Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has called on the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) to design a short executive programme for State Governors and top politicians that would prepare them for the task of governance.

Governor Uduaghan and the Secretary to State Government (SSG), Comrade Ovuozourie Macaulay, who made the call at separate meetings with participants of Course 34 of the Institute in Asaba, said the Institute was endowed with research department and could therefore design a programme that would suit the political class.

Uduaghan said the Institute should incorporate the affected politicians in an interactive seminar especially as most students of the Institute were top government functionaries who are versed in different aspect of governance.

“I want to request that the Institute should organize a short programme for the political class in the country. NIPSS has something for everybody in the society and l think it should organize an interactive programme for top politicians”.

He described this year’s interactive tour for the Course 34 students titled “Resource Diversification for Sustainable Economic Development in Nigeria” as apt explaining that it was the only way to boost the economy and be less dependent on oil and gas.

While affirming that it was critical for the nation and federating states to move beyond oil and explore other areas because oil would not last forever, the Governor recalled the recently concluded Second South-South Economic Summit which also centred on diversification of the economy of the region and disclosed that Delta State already has a programme on diversification titled “Delta without Oil.”

He said the State’s programme on diversification was broad, saying that the policy was on agriculture, leisure, medical as well as oil mineral, adding that his administration has already provided infrastructures such as power, good motorable roads, sea and airports to encourage and attract investors.

“Fortunately, the Federal Government is interested in the cargo section of the Asaba International Airport. So we are partnering with the Federal Government to develop the cargo wing of the airport. We are also empowering the youths through agriculture and micro-credit scheme because once the youths are engaged they would not be attracted to crime.”

The Director General of NIPPS, Prof. Tijani Bande, who said his team was in Delta to interact extensively with top government functionaries on the Institutes theme for the year titled “Resource Diversification for Sustainable Economic Development”, explained that diversification was now central to the sustainable economic development of the nation and enjoined states to key into it, just as he lauded the South-South zone of the country on efforts toward diversification of the region’s economies.

In a similar development, the participants of the Senior Executive Course (SEC) of NIPSS earlier visited the Secretary to Delta State Government (SSG), Comrade Ovuozourie Macaulay at the Cabinet Complex in Asaba, where he presented a copy of Delta state perspective on “Resource Diversification for Sustainable Economic Development in Nigeria” to the visiting team.