TPI and the giant stride towards democratic stability by Gboyega Adeoye

On September 6, 2024, The Progressive Institute (TPI), was established by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), to be the official think tank of the party and an intellectual Resource Centre.

Eminent Nigerians, from far and near, as well as members of the international community were all at the institute’s secretariat in Abuja, to give a seal to the unique initiative

Established as part of efforts by the APC under the leadership of Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, PhD, the National Chairman of the party to deepen and strengthen internal democracy, promote participatory development while enhancing the bond between the party and its cadres, TPI came as a contribution by that party to strengthen its internal governance system.

The idea was to pursue a fertile institute that would enhance leadership recruitment process of the party while also promoting its policy support role through research.

And to fulfil every righteousness, TPI is well nurtured to earn the recognition of 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.

Therefore, in performing its statutory roles, TPI is to also ensure good governance across the entire nation through its practice.

So, being nurtured as an independent, self-sustaining entity, TPI is recognized as such by the Federal Government and is accredited by the National Board for Technical Education as well as the Federal Ministry of Justice.

With all these already at hand, the stage had been set for the budding institute to play its role of churning out courses that would help shape the nation’s political future.

TPI is chartered by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) as a Company Limited by Guarantee.

Core mandate of the institute is to undertake research, capacity building, training on leadership, good governance, political party management, development, public policy, community engagement, democratization as well as other emerging national issues in governance, across board.

To this end, political actors, stakeholders, institutions, organizations and bodies can key into the programmes and tap into the vision and mandate of the Institute.

The quest to be able to achieve the myriad of responsibilities saddled the institute may not be unconnected with the choice of Dr Olanrewaju Jayeola Adebayo, versatile journalist and accomplished administrator, as driver the seemingly lofty project.

Adebayo is a journalist of no mean feat, a policy analyst, management consultant, conflict management expert, and a development worker.

He holds a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Public Administration, specialising in Public Policy Analysis and Comparative Government of the University of Benin, Nigeria in 1999; Master of Arts (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.

Adebayo had earlier obtained his Diploma in Journalism from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism in 1980.

He was at various times a reporter with the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), a freelance journalist with the West Africa Magazine, London and was lecturer in Public policy and Public Administration with the then Ogun State University (OSUA); now Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU).

The TPI boss was also at a time the Chair of the Department’s Post Graduate Committee which introduced the Master’s Degree programme in Public Administration of the OOU.

An erudite scholar as his daunting credentials have proofed, Adebayo was Head of the Political Education Department of the defunct Directorate for Social Mobilization in Ogun State.

While there, he introduced the Rural Development Network which was a critical platform for community and rural mobilisation and development.

He was also State Director with the National Orientation Agency in Ogun and Ondo States between 1994 to 2002, after which he was appointed 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 and that 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.

The manual developed by his committee was made compulsory in the Country in 2007 by the National Council on Education.

Adebayo also initiated and chaired the 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

It is worthy to know that both the Civic Education and the Civil Society Partnership programmes did not receive any government funding.

Both programmes were funded through grants from the World Bank, United States Agency for International Development and the United Nations Development Programme.

Adebayo was also Executive Secretary, Centre for Applied Policy and Social Advocacy between 2010 and 2013.

During this period, he secured and supervised a British Council funded programme on Peace Building in the North Eastern part of the Country.

He is a goal getter who was 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.

That was a multi-disciplinary Centre, chartered by the Federal Government as a training institution with the capacity to award its own diplomas subject to moderation by the Federal Ministry of Education.

Adebayo is a repository of knowledge in leadership and institutional capacity building; a round peg in the round hole of TPI, working things out for a better political future for Nigeria.