…hails Hadiza Usman @50
Kashim Shettima, Nigeria’s vice president, on Tuesday charged public servants to remain selfless, disciplined and consistent in carrying out their duties to the country, saying that enduring legacies in governance are built on resilience, strength of character and an unwavering commitment to excellence.
Shettima stated this while speaking in Abuja, at the governace colloquium held in commemoration of the 50th birthday of Hadiza Bala Usman, Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, and Head of the Central Delivery Coordination Unit.
Shettima said, “If we are to raise generations ready to lead with purpose, to deliver with excellence and to serve with courage, we must remember this truth: intention without the willingness to pay the price of service remains wishful thinking.”
The vice president, speaking further, described Usman as a mirror not only for the northern Nigerian girl but for the nation at large, noting that her public service career was forged quietly through responsibility, diligence and institutional strengthening.
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“Her place in our public service history is secured. What she has become is the product of decisions taken quietly, responsibilities carried fully and institutions strengthened with care,” he stated.
Shettima added that Usman earned her influence through “a rare combination of gifts, grace strengthened by grit; clarity guided by courage; vision anchored in excellence,” stressing that her rise in public service was deliberate and sustained by the hard work of nation-building.
Also speaking at the event, Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to the President, hailed Usman whom he described as a purposeful and courageous woman.
Gbajabiamila said Usman has upheld her determination to promoting structure, clarity and reforms in government.
Delivering the keynote address, Joe Abah, a former Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms charged public servants to serve with humility, restraint and courage.
“Out of over 240 million Nigerians, only a tiny fraction will ever serve at senior levels. It is not a right; it is a privilege to be deemed worthy to shape the lives of fellow citizens,” Abah said.
He stressed that governing a country cannot be compared to a rocket science, arguing that the challenge of leadership lies not in technical difficulty but in navigating people, power, and competing interests.
According to Abah, pushing through with meaningful reforms require political navigation beyond presidential directives. He added that there was need for patience, knowing that the impact of reforms often becomes evident long after officials have left office.
“Governance is not rocket science; it is harder than rocket science, unlike technical systems, government operates in a terrain shaped by politics, identity, expectations and institutional pressures, governance requires leaders to constantly balance issues of ethnicity, religion, political affiliation, regional sensitivities and public perception.
“In government, no matter your experience, you must navigate all these realities at the same time,” he said.
He also stated that leaders will require more than just political will in government, adding that political will does not only come from the President but from the political party, the cabinet, colleagues and the broader power structure around the presidency.
