The new Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Mrs Saratu Umar, on Thursday charged staff of the Commission to stay focused to make the future greater than the past. Umar who unfolded a 10-point agenda on advancing the cause of the Commission forward also tasked the staff on discipline. However she said she is open to ideas that will reposition NIPC.

She said, “As I have done before, I will listen to your concerns and suggestions on how to move this institution to the next level. As I have also done before, I will listen to and discuss your challenges and concerns, and together, we will proffer solutions to handle them. Staff welfare is important to me as it is key to the attainment of our goals and objectives; it will, be taken seriously. A happy staff is a motivated staff, but also remember, to whom much is given, much is expected”.

In her remarks on the occasion of her assumption of office in Abuja, titled, “A New Dawn”, Umar stated: Yesterday is gone. Today is a new day. “The past is a place of learning, not a place of living. We must stay focused on today and tomorrow, and how to make tomorrow an even greater day”.

Umar noted that the passage of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020, the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, are laudable milestone reforms, adding that these has removed several binding constraints in policy, legislation and regulations that have historically hindered investments.

Said she: “As we all know, the mandate of the NIPC is to encourage, promote and coordinate investments in the Nigerian Economy. This mandate is key to promoting economic growth, creating jobs, and generating wealth for Nigerians as well as facilitating development. NIPC is therefore strategic and important in the economic development of Nigeria”.

According to her, “The Pillars of this vision remain: Sound Corporate Governance Practices. Corporate Accountability and Institutional Discipline Operational Excellence and Administrative Effectiveness through standardized processes, policies, and systems, amongst others. A Risk Management Framework that supports the internal operations, service delivery, mandate, and functions of NIPC Certification by the International Standards Organization [ISO] to attain process maturity and enhance NIPC’s service delivery, reliability, and efficiency.

“Robust and effective Stakeholder Communication and Engagement. Structured, Systematic and Expanded National Investment Promotion Strategy. Deployment of a best-in-class Information Technology system across our functions and processes.

“A robust Human Resource Management system that addresses and prioritizes staff welfare, training, development, reward system and motivation. Furthermore, in implementing our mandate, we will support Federal Government’s various general and sectoral policies, and Executive pronouncements. We will take to a logical conclusion the National”.

News Express recalls that the ES once held the position in 2014. Hear her: “Therefore, as it was in 2014, so it is in 2022: I am still fully committed to excellence and professionalism. If you would recall, my vision when I assumed duty in 2014 was: ‘to transform NIPC into a gold standard of excellence on the African Continent and a world-class Investment Promotion Agency, that is comparable to any in the world’.

“This vision still remains necessary due to the fact that, as the gateway to the Nigerian Economy for Investors, NIPC should be a strong and a role model public institution with a private sector orientation. It should be an African Industry Leader at the forefront of the investment ecosystem, and it should play a central role in our national development, as contemplated by its Act. Today, I still stand firm on this vision and I want to stress it with an even stronger voice. I reiterate that NIPC will be a strong public institution, with a private sector orientation that delivers effective and efficient services that exceed the expectations of all stakeholders in the investment ecosystem and indeed, in Nigeria.”

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