According to him, the essence of developing the Handbook, as part of the initial foundational materials of the Institute, is to ensure global standard and thoroughness in the development of both the intellectual and professional materials of the institution.
National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje has disclosed the determination of the party’s leadership to leverage on science and technology in deepening internal democracy.
Ganduje stated this on Saturday in Abuja at a one-day validation conference on the draft handbook of The Progressive Institute.
The validation conference is one of the steps towards establishing the institute.
He recalled that one of his major pronouncements immediately after his inauguration as National Chairman of the party was the establishment of The Progressive Institute as a platform not only to enhance the intellectual foundation of the party, but also to strengthen the process of decision-making through the deployment of research-driven, empirical and accountable approaches in APC’s operations.
According to Ganduje, the conference was important as it was to review the draft Handbook of The Progressive Institute, which he said would serve as the party’s Think Tank as well as its Intellectual Resource Centre.
“The Handbook was developed as part of our deliberate efforts to establish a world-class intellectual resource centre”, he stated.
He said; “We are determined to leverage on science and technology to deepen internal democracy while also promoting democracy, good governance, inclusiveness and equity in the country. Our leadership is conscious of its historical responsibility to promote these ideals.
“The Progressive Institute will play a dual role for the APC. It will function as a Think Tank as well as an intellectual Resource Centre. As a Think Tank, it will undertake research either on its own or under the directives of the party, focusing on policies and programmes of governments under the APC platform. This will enhance the capacity to effectively play its role. It will also undertake capacity building activities for our members.
“In both roles, the centre will carry out research on progressive ideals and their programmatic implications while also developing the curriculum for ideological training for members of the APC including those in government.
“It is important to emphasize the determination of our party to raise the quality of political discourse in the country through very well defined ideological prisms”.
According to him, the essence of developing the Handbook, as part of the initial foundational materials of the Institute, is to ensure global standard and thoroughness in the development of both the intellectual and professional materials of the institution.
“This conference provides us an opportunity to further enrich the document and I wish to thank our highly distinguished resource persons for their expected quality contributions. I also wish to appreciate everyone who has made this event possible”, he added.
Earlier, Chairman of the occasion and former Vice Chancellor, University of Abuja, Prof. Nuhu Omeiza-Yaqub described the conference as a welcome development.
“The review is something that we should all welcome as it also portrays the APC as a party that is very conscious of its role in terms of delivering the dividends of democratic governance in this country.
“As a political scientist, it makes me happy that we are in the process of consolidating democratic governance in this country”, he added.
The validation conference was jointly organized by the APC and the Institute for Governance and Leadership Studies in Africa IGLSA.