NIPSS:PPLPDC - Key Persons
Bawa AHMED obtained HND in Accounting from Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa Nigeria, and a Masters in Business Administration from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi. He is a Fellow of Association of National Accountants of Nigeria. He has attended several training courses in financial management, administration, management and Accounting both within and outside the country. He began work and an Internal Auditor in NIPSS and later moved to the Accounts department. Over the years, he has served as finance desk officer for several local and international sponsored projects including NIPSS/USAID (ENHANSE) Project, DFID Project, UNDP-sponsored MDG-based Workshops for Legislators from 20 states of the Federation, UNDP/DGD II Project, UN Women Project, DFID/NSRP Project. He has also served on several administrative and technical committees of the Institute. He is currently the Deputy Bursar of the Institute and Finance officer of the Political Parties Leadership and Policy Development Centre (PPLPDC) in the Institute.
Benjamin O. Opabunmi was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, where he had his Primary School education at St Leo's Catholic School, Orita Challenge (1988) and then moved on to Government College Ibadan for secondary school education (1994). He Studied Computer Science at Federal Polytechnic Offa for National Diploma and Higher National Diploma (2003). In 2011 he completed a Post Graduate Diploma Course in Computer Science (PGD Computer Science) from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi, which enabled him to secure admission for Master programme at the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA). He has completed the Course work for the MTech Programme at FUTA and his thesis has reached advanced stage of completion. He started his career as a System Analyst in the Office of the Sec/Director of Administration, in 2006 when he joined the services of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies Kuru, Jos Plateau State. His schedule of duties, among others involves facilitating communications with designated desk officers of Nigerian Embassy in the countries earmarked for Study Tours by NIPSS Officials and Participants of the Senior Executive Course. He has also worked in the Information Communication and Technology Department as well as Studies Directorate. He is currently the Centre Secretary of the Political Parties Leadership and Policy Development Centre of the Research Directorate of National Institute (NIPSS) kuru. He was appointed as the Secretary of the Committee on the take-off of training programmes for the Political Parties Leadership and Policy Development Centre in 2014. Since then, he has been instrumental to facilitating training programmes for Political Parties Officials as well as organising National and International Conferences by the Centre.
Musa Emmanuel UMAR obtained B.A Combined Honours (History/Political Science) from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. He also holds M.Sc. and PhD in Political Economy and Development Studies from University of Jos, Nigeria. He was Fulbright Scholar at Georgia State University, Atlanta, USA. He attended Development Diplomacy for Peace and Security Course, funded by GIZ at Kofi Anan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, Accra, Ghana. He also attended Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education Program, Applying Behavioral Insights to the Design of Public Policy Course. Dr. Umar is currently a Senior Fellow and Head of Department of Politics and Social Studies in the Research Directorate of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Plateau State, Nigeria. He is also the Deputy Chief Operating Officer (Programme) of the Political Parties Leadership and Policy Development Centre, NIPSS. Before joining the services of NIPSS, he was Training and Development Officer with the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Jos, Nigeria. He has served as a researcher, consultant and facilitator to several national and international research projects and training programmes. He has published in areas relating to the economic development, public policy, security, ethnic conflicts, citizenship, national integration, civil society and democracy.
Dr. Plangsat Bitrus Dayil is an experienced Development Analyst, Advocacy, and Communication expert, as well as a strong Gender and Public Policy Analysis professional, with a Doctorate Degree in African Studies from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, focusing on Gender, Conflict, and Ethnic/Cultural Minority issues. Since 2004, she has been a lecturer at the University of Jos' Department of Political Science. From 2017 to 2022, Dr. Dayil was the temporary Director of the University of Jos' Centre for Gender and Women Studies (CGWS). Dr. Dayil took a sabbatical as Director Gender/Gender Lead at the Development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) from October 2022 to October 2023. She engages as a Gender, Inclusivity, and Safeguarding Consultant for several governments and CSOs. Dr Dayil is currently the Deputy Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Jos.
A scholar, lecturer, researcher and consultant, Dr. Akeem Adeyanju's main focus is on strategic communication programme development, public policy analysis, research, capacity building, monitoring and evaluation, advocacy and networking, and gender mainstreaming. His experience spreads over 15 years with many local, national and international organisations on programmes and projects concerning media research, development of strategic communication documents, research on girl-child education, women and youth development and child rights. He has worked both as researcher, evaluator, editor and consultant to organisations such as UNDP, UNICEF, BBC World Service, Action Aid Nigeria etc. This experience was built atop a wide range of educational accomplishments. After successful completion of secondary education in 1982, he proceeded to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where he obtained a first class honours degree in Mass Communication in 1998. Thereafter he pursued a postgraduate qualification in the same university, earning a Master's degree in Political Science in 2001. He crowned that achievement with a PhD in Mass Communication from the University of Ibadan in 2010. Dr. Adeyanju is a man of wide exposure, with over 16 publications in local and international journals. He is currently a Senior Lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and a Visiting Fellow at the NIPSS, Kuru.
Grace Oluseyi Oshinfowokan is a Fellow in the Directorate of Research, National Institute, Kuru Jos. She holds a PhD in Political Economy and Development Studies from University of Abuja. Before joining the National Institute, she had worked as a Study Facilitator at the National Open University, Abuja where she supervised undergraduate projects of students in Political Science and Peace & Conflict Resolution Departments. Prior to this, she was Research Coordinator, Regional Centre of Bioenterprise Development (RCBD), an NGO founded under the auspices of the Small and Medium Enterprise Development (SMEDAN). Dr. Oshinfowokan is a member of the Institute of Professional Managers and Administrators of Nigeria (IPMA) and also a Member of the Nigerian Political Science Association (NPSA). Aside this, she is a Contributor at the Geopolitical Economy Research Group based in University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. She is widely travelled with research interests in the developmental issues such as poverty alleviation, rural development as it affects the third world countries in general and Nigeria in particular. She is passionate on the issue of dependency and underdevelopment of Africa, debt burden and marginalisation.