Abdulhaleem Ishaq Ringim, 24, has emerged as the youngest participant to attend the PSLC training course at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru, Plateau State, after winning the Ezekiel Gomos Leadership Prize, among others. He explains how he got there, in this interview. Excerpt.
At what age did you enrol in the Policy, Strategy and Leadership Course (PSLC) of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru, Plateau State?
Well, I had just turned 24 in September and proceeded to NIPSS for the course on the 29th of October, so I was enrolled at the age of 24 years old.
What made you leave nursing to carve a niche in writing?
I wouldn’t say I ever had a career in nursing. I have not practised since I graduated from Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital’s School of Nursing and got licensed by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN).
I got engaged immediately after graduating on a mentorship placement at the office of the Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Scholarship and Loans Board, where I served as his personal assistant. This was courtesy of an open advisory I wrote to him while in school.
I served in his office for about a year before leaving to start an undergraduate programme in economics at Ahmadu Bello University via its distance learning ram. But I never stopped writing, and I was able to establish quite an extensive footprint in the nation’s media space within three years, covering a diverse portfolio from politics through security and public affairs to policy analysis and advocacy. My opinion columns have appeared in most newspapers in Nigeria and a few international ones.
I have gotten a number of recognitions for my modest effort at contributing my quota to community and national development through my articles. I was a CJA Syndicated Writer of the Year twice and Campus Journalist of the Year 2021. Royal African Awardee of the Global Outreach of the Ooni of Ife in 2022; Junior Chamber International (JCI) Nigeria Ten Outstanding Young Persons Award 2023; and recently was named by Statecraft Inc. as one of the 100 Most Influential Persons Behind the State (BTS 100).
I have been on another mentorship placement at the office of the Commissioner and Administrator of the Kaduna Capital Territory Authority (KCTA) for over a year now and concurrently coordinate the research unit of the Kaduna Office of Resilience. I am also in the last lap of my economics programme, where I currently maintain a 4.96 CGPA.
This is how the shift happened. As for the “why,” I like nursing because of how the profession embodies service to humanity. However, I later realised that with public policy, I could impact the lives of millions of people at once, as opposed to the countable lot in the nursing profession. And, alhamdulillah, from contributing to policymaking through writing and now through consultancies and advisories, it has been a fascinating experience. And it wasn’t a difficult decision; I had always been an advocate of eclecticism in the search for knowledge and even life generally. My story reflects just that.
NIPSS is the apex policy research institute and think tank in Nigeria. How did you find yourself in the midst of senior-level executive officers in both the public and private sectors?
It’s an interesting story. NIPSS is mostly known for its 10-month Senior Executive Course (SEC) that leads to the award of the Member of the National Institute (mni).
However, the second flagship programme of the institute is the 4-week intensive Policy, Strategy, and Leadership Course (PSLC), which I had the opportunity to attend. So I am not “mni” yet.
The course was initiated as a response to a call for a comprehensive framework to empower mid-to-senior-level executives in both the public and private sectors with contemporary skills in policy formulation, strategic management, and leadership crucial for addressing national challenges.
Admission into the PSLC, just like in the SEC, is usually by nomination. I got nominated by a participant of the cohort that preceded ours whom I had met four years ago in Ebonyi State. He was there at the instance of the Oyo State Government, and they had a slot that was not filled. The referral, however, came through another colleague who was supposed to fill the slot but was in the United Kingdom for another engagement.
While the course is strictly for mid-to-senior-level executives in both the public and private sectors who are usually sponsored for the course by their organisations, I was still accepted for the course as a self-sponsored participant after a review of my CV and contributions to the public policy space in both the executive and legislative spheres. That was how I ended up in the midst of elders as the youngest person to ever attend the course.
And it was a life-changing experience. They all supported me, and I learnt a lot from their experiences. I was opportune to lead one of the five study groups in our cohort. I also emerged as the sole winner of the prestigious Ezekiel Gomos Leadership Prize (individual category), which was presented during the closing ceremony.
Mr. Ezekiel Gomos, OFR, is a former secretary to the State Government of Plateau State, immediate past chairman of the Plateau State Economic Advisory Team, and founder of Jos Business School. He was also on the PSLC faculty.
The director-general of the institute complemented the prize with another invaluable gift after delivering my valedictory address. He broke protocol and gave me a mentor in the person of Dr. Steve O. Ogidan, MNI, who graciously accepted me as a mentee. It was a true honour.
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