By Precious Amadi
In a major push to reform the state’s civil service, Rivers State Deputy Governor, Prof. Ngozi Odu, has challenged Permanent Secretaries to step out of routine administrative roles and actively drive state development and transformation.
Odu gave the charge while opening a three-day Reorientation and Capacity-Building Training Programme in Port Harcourt. The workshop, themed “Permanent Secretaries: From Custodians of Process to Drivers of Transformation,” marks a strategic shift in how the state expects its highest-ranking civil servants to operate.
Addressing the administrative heads, the Deputy Governor stressed that relying solely on managing established government processes is no longer enough to meet modern governance demands.
“While public servants must remain committed to due process, professionalism, and the rules of the Public Service, they must also embrace innovation, strategic thinking, accountability, and results-oriented leadership,” Odu stated.
She commended Governor Siminalayi Fubara for funding institutional capacity building, noting that professionalizing the workforce is central to the administration’s service delivery goals. She also praised the Head of Service, Dr. Inyingi Brown, for her innovative leadership in coordinating the session.
To ensure long-term professional development, the Rivers State Government partnered with the Chartered Institute of Directors of Nigeria (CIoD) to facilitate the training.
Odu revealed that all participating Permanent Secretaries will be formally inducted as members of the prestigious institute upon completing the three-day course. She described the induction as a valuable platform that exposes state officials to contemporary global governance, networking, and leadership standards.
In her opening address, the Head of Service, Dr. Inyingi Brown, explained that the collaboration with the CIoD was deliberately designed to reposition administrative leaders into strategic policymakers.
“The changing demands of governance require Permanent Secretaries to go beyond routine administrative responsibilities,” Brown said. “They must contribute meaningfully to policy formulation, implementation, and institutional transformation.”
Expressing the appreciation of the participants, the Permanent Secretary of the Rivers State Civil Service Commission, Pastor James Enebeli, delivered the vote of thanks. Enebeli noted that because government dynamics are constantly evolving, continuous training is vital to keep civil servants aligned with the executive vision of the Fubara administration.
