BACKGROUND

The National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies Kuru was established by Decree No 20 of 1979 (Now known as Act 20 CAP 626 OF 1990). The Institute was conceived as a high-level centre for reflection~ research and learning with the primary objective of serving as the nation’s foremost policy ‘Think-Tank” , developing a crop of top-class technocrats of high intellectual capacity, who will conceptualize and anchor the implementation of innovative and dynamic policy initiatives and strategies critical for national development. The NIPSS mandate envisioned an Institute that shall serve as a high level centre of reflection, research, and dialogue where academics of intellectual excellence, policy initiators and executors and other citizens of practical experience and wisdom drawn from different sectors of national life of Nigeria would meet to reflect and exchange ideas on the great issues of society, particularly as they relate to Nigeria and Africa, in the context of the dynamic of a constantly changing world.

THE ROLE OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE
The National Institute was established to:

• Conduct courses for top level policy makers and executors drawn from different sectors of the national policy with a view to expanding their outlook and perspective and stretching their conceptual capacity and qualities of discernment and analysis and thereby helping to improve their overall performance in their different fields of action; 
• Award certificates of attendance to those who participate in a sufficient and satisfactory manner in any of its courses;
• Conduct seminars, workshops and other action oriented programmes whether on a continuing or adhoc basis for leaders in the public services (including the armed forces and other disciplined forces), the private sector, political organizations professional and other groups with a view to promoting and defining, and enhancing appreciation for long range national plans and objectives;
• Identify, encourage, stimulate, assemble, organize, and help deploy to the best national advantage the country’s intellectual talents and experienced policy analysts who are likely to make positive contributions to the treatment of complex policy problems;
• Organize and carry out, on an inter-disciplinary basis in intellectual support of those charged with making and implementing policy for Nigeria, research in depth into the social, economic, political, security and other problems facing the country, and to formulate and present, in usable form, the available potions of their solution;
• Disseminate by way of publication of books, records, reports or otherwise, information about any part of its activities, to the extent deemed justified by the Board in the interest of the nation, and generally as a contribution towards knowledge and for better national and international understanding;
• Promote or undertake any other activity that in the opinion of the Board is calculated to help achieve the purpose of the Institute.