The Katsina State Government has announced the adoption of Dakuku Peterside’s latest books—Leading in a Storm and Beneath the Surface—as part of its leadership training resources for public officials. Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, represented at the Abuja presentation by his Deputy, Faruk Lawal Jobe, said the move aligns with the administration’s reforms to professionalise governance, strengthen service delivery and embed a performance culture across ministries, departments and agencies.
According to the Governor, Peterside’s works offer “practical tools, not just theories,” that resonate with Katsina’s ongoing efforts on security management, infrastructure upgrades, education and health reforms, as well as climate-smart agriculture. “In Katsina, we have been deploying these principles—anchoring every reform on data, partnerships with communities, and steady, measurable progress,” he said.
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The Deputy Governor noted that Beneath the Surface reflects the state’s public service transformation drive, which focuses on aligning plans with budgets, outcomes with accountability, digitising critical systems, and institutionalising continuous learning. To translate insight into practice, he announced the procurement of 500 copies of Leading in a Storm for members of the Executive Council, Permanent Secretaries, Local Government Chairmen, heads of MDAs, and frontline managers.
The books, he said, will be funded under the training and capacity-building vote, with integration into ongoing programmes such as guided reading circles, after-action reviews, and practical clinics tied to government priorities in security, health, education, agriculture, and infrastructure. Mr Jobe also highlighted Katsina’s crisis-leadership posture, including scenario planning, early-warning networks, and joint operations with security agencies and communities, which he said have improved citizen safety. He pointed to rural road access, revitalised primary healthcare centres, teacher upskilling, and transparent input distribution in agriculture as evidence of reforms already delivering results.
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“At the heart of our efforts is a simple ethic: turning small, disciplined actions into measurable improvements in daily life,” he stated, citing the example of a teacher who described a repaired classroom roof as “a small thing with a big effect.” The Deputy Governor invited development partners, the private sector and civil society to support Katsina’s capacity-building drive through mentorship, field experience and problem-solving labs.
He concluded: “Dr. Peterside has given us a compass for rough weather and calm waters alike. May these ideas inspire us to govern with courage, humility and discipline—so that our people, not our egos, are the beneficiaries. Together, we will continue to lead through the storm into a future of safety, opportunity and dignity for all.”
