Group Moves To Unify Dons Of Public Administration in Tertiary, Research Institutions

The Public Administration Theories and Practice Forum says it is working to unify public administration academics in the various tertiary and research institutions in the country.

Chairman of the conference Local Organising Committee (LOC), Dr. Nwamaka Ibeme, said this at a maiden three-day conference of the forum in Abuja.

The theme of the conference was: “Good governance, public sector management and sustainable development.”

Ibeme, who is also the Head, Department of Public Administration, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), said the forum which emerged from the traditional political science would direct the interest of the tertiary and research institutions in the country to critical thinking for greater understanding of governance and development of the public sector.

“Our role will not just anchor on advising on policy issues but supporting the system that will make sustainable development possible even in the face of national and global uncertainties.

“To deliver on this mission, our core objectives will among others include, to use the forum to serve as a platform for engaging in constructive dialogue with the scholars of public administration and allied disciplines on critical public policy issues and challenges in Nigeria and the ways to address them.

“Our approach will not just be dwelling on the theories but to a large extent drawing from the wealth of knowledge from the practitioners in the field, in the real practice of public administration.

“It’s also our hope that this public administration theory and practice forum will facilitate academic cooperation and collaboration between public administrations and policy scholars in Nigeria and cognate disciplines and international political, economic development organisations, across the globe.

“It’s also our dream that this conference will become pan African and eventually global, as we take our rightful place in the public administration space and in defining the way the public related issues and challenges are dressed to the benefit of our institutions and government,” Ibeme said.

The Vice Chancellor of NOUN, Prof. Olufemi Peters, who declared the conference open, said the institution would always support any move aimed at developing the tertiary and research institutions.

The V.C who was represented by Prof. Samson Osoba, Dean, Faculty of Management Sciences, said that NOUN would support any forum or professional body ready to take education to the next level.

President of the forum, Prof. Akongbowa Amadasun, a professor of Public Administration and Political Economy, Federal University Wukari, Wukari, Taraba, said the forum would interface with stakeholders in best practice governance in the country in all ramifications.

“It is high time, a body of Public Administrators, particularly for academicians, is in place for sustained research.

“In addition, this will provide a valuable opportunity for exchange of knowledge and experience in public management.

“This occasion marks a watershed in the history of our young and dynamic association; it also marks a new beginning in the transformation of public administration as a discipline and practice in Nigeria,” Amadasun said.

Papers were presented on the benefits to be derived from the conference and the forum at the long run as participants were drawn from various tertiary and research institutions in the country.