By Waziri Mahdi Isa
Katsina Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, PhD, CON has disclosed that Nigeria is blessed with strong men, but weak institutions.
Governor Radda made the disclosure at an international conference organised by the Department of Public Administration, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
The conference, themed “Rethinking Public Administration and Governance for Effective Service Delivery and Development”, took place today, Monday, 7th July, 2025, at Local Government and Development Studies Theatre, Kongo Campus, Zaria.
Radda, who was the Chairman of the Occasion, stated that he was in ABU to honour an invitation by his alma mater, support and encourage students and for public administration reforms, emphasizing that no government would succeed without public administration.
He said when he emerged as Katsina State Governor, he believed he could not achieve anything without reforming the public service.
Radda noted that conferences like that were needed in the country to solve the problems affecting public services.
He urged students to be good and law abiding citizens for a better Nigeria.
Governor Radda thanked the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Adamu Ahmed, and the Department of Public Administration, for inviting him and pledged continuous assistance.
Earlier in his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University, Prof Adamu Ahmed, expressed gratitude to Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, who is an alumnus of the University for honouring the invitation.
Prof Ahmed stated that the career and accomplishments of Radda had become a source of great pride to the ABU Community.
The Vice-Chancellor said that the university was inspired by the visionary leadership the governor had demonstrated in Katsina State.
He also said that Radda’s commitment to the deployment of technology, such as Geographic Information System (GIS) to enhance planning and transparency, and focus on social infrastructure and citizen welfare were commendable examples of public administration that delivered impact.
He said the conference came at a critical juncture in Nigeria’s democratic journey, when it continued to grapple with serious governance challenges, weak institutions, limited transparency, policy discontinuities, ineffective service delivery and widening trust gap between government and citizens.
Prof Ahmed however asserted that the problems were not insurmountable, as they required fresh thinking, courageous reforms and bold leadership.
The Vice-Chancellor congratulated the Department of Public Administration for organising the conference and urged all participants to reflect deeply, debate constructively and propose actionable ideas that could help in bridging the gap between government and citizens.
Also speaking, the Head, Department of Public Administration, Prof Lawal Saleh, said that the theme was not just timely, but imperative and hence, the need for important approaches to public administration.
Prof Saleh thanked the Vice-Chancellor, the University Management and Katsina State Governor for their continuous support to the department.
Also speaking, the Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, explained that Nigerians lived in a time when public trust in government was fragile and people’s expectations were higher.
Represented by the Chairman, Kaduna State Local Government Service Board, Prof Aminu Ladan Sharehu, Governor Sani noted that the government must build a people centred government, one that sees citizens as clients and partners.
The governor also said that the Kaduna State Government was pushing reforms that were people centric and that the government was prioritizing civil service reforms.
He maintained that the government was rethinking the restructuring of governance and believed in Local Government reforms.
In a paper presentation titled; “Public Service Reforms and Service Delivery”, the Director General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Mr. D.I Arabi, defined public service reforms as a systematic efforts to improve efficiency, accountability and service delivery.
Arabi affirmed that the Nigerian Civil Service would go paperless in the next five years.
The Director-General argued that public service referred to the group of individuals, who work for government and are responsible for assisting in carrying out government functions.
According to him, public servants prepared policy advice, implement policy decisions, draft legislation and manage contracts to ensure the delivery of government programs.
He also said reforms were deliberate and planned changes to the structure, processes and culture organization.
Arabi thanked the Department of Public Administration for finding him worthy of the presentation and wished all participants fruitful deliberations.
Highlights of the event were presentation of plague to Katsina State Governor by the Vice-Chancellor and certificates to some distinguished personalities.