By Obinna Uballa
Katsina State recently took a new step in its ongoing civil service transformation drive by integrating leadership and governance principles drawn from the works of former Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Director-General, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, into its public sector reform agenda.
Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, who unveiled the initiative through the deputy governor, Malam Faruk Lawal Jobe, said the move represents a deliberate effort to deepen the state’s ongoing capacity-building reforms and institutionalise performance-based governance.
The governor disclosed that insights from Peterside’s recent publications, Leading in a Storm and Beneath the Surface, will now form part of the state’s training materials for senior civil servants, local government chairmen and heads of ministries, departments and agencies.
Radda explained that the decision was influenced by the books’ emphasis on practical leadership, data-driven governance and ethical service delivery – values that align with Katsina’s ongoing reforms in education, health, agriculture and security management.
“Dr. Peterside’s works offer not just theories but practical tools for navigating complexity. In Katsina, we have been applying similar principles, anchoring every reform on data, local partnerships and measurable progress,” the governor said in a statement.
According to him, 500 copies of Leading in a Storm have been procured for distribution among key public officials under the state’s training and capacity-building vote. The initiative will also include guided reading circles, problem-solving sessions and post-training clinics linked to government priorities.
The state’s ongoing reforms, according to Jobe, have already yielded tangible results in rural road construction, primary healthcare revitalisation, teacher retraining and transparent agricultural support schemes. He emphasised that the administration’s crisis-management model – built around scenario planning, early-warning systems and community security networks – has improved stability across several local governments.
“At the heart of our efforts is a simple ethic: turning small, disciplined actions into measurable improvements in daily life,” the deputy governor said, adding that the public service renewal plan aims to sustain these gains through institutional learning.
In his closing remarks, Jobe urged development partners, the private sector and civil society organisations to support the initiative through mentorship, technical collaboration and experiential learning for civil servants.
“Dr. Peterside has given us a compass for rough weather and calm waters alike,” he said. “Our goal is to govern with courage, humility and discipline so that the people, not the leaders, are the ultimate beneficiaries.”
The Katsina government’s adoption of Peterside’s works comes amid wider calls for states to prioritise leadership renewal, institutional integrity and result-based governance as key drivers of Nigeria’s development trajectory.
