The Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) is suffering dilapidation due to poor budgetary provisions as evident in the paltry capital allocation of N46 million in the 2021 budget.
NIIA Director-General, Eghosa Osaghae made this known at public hearing on a Bill for an Act to repeal and re-enact the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Osaghae said NIIA has the mandate to provide capacity for Nigeria and other African countries, to be able to effectively engage in the global community but this could be effectively realized due to paucity of funds.
He said the institute needed special funds to be able to carry out research, meet its mandate and to surpass its glory days, lamenting that it has only 78 staff, out of which only nine, including him are researchers.
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“We see that this bill will take the NIIA to the level where the world has not seen, to a level where our founding fathers will rejoice in heaven. This committee said it is time for dry bones to raise again, not only rise again but surpass the bones it used to be,’’ Osaghae said.
Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila while declaring the public hearing open, solicited for the support of stakeholders to enable National Assembly reposition the institute.
Represented by the Deputy House Leader, Peter Akpatason, Gbajabiamila urged the stakeholders to come up with ideas that would help the parliament achieve its aim of putting the institute back on track.
Chairman of the Committee and sponsor of the Bill, Yakub Buba (APC-Adamawa) said it was time for all stakeholders to do everything possible to overhaul NIIA for optimal performance.
