Governor of Ebonyi State, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to visionary, performance-driven governance, stressing that leadership founded on ideas and innovation remains key to sustainable development.
The governor made this known during the public presentation of two new books by former NIMASA Director-General, Dr Dakuku Peterside — Leading in a Storm and Beneath the Surface — held in Abuja.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ebonyi State Liaison Office, Dr Kizito Nwovu, Governor Nwifuru commended Peterside for his intellectual contributions to leadership and governance discourse, describing the books as “timely and transformative” for leaders across Nigeria.
He said the insights offered in both books align closely with Ebonyi’s governance journey; from its humble beginnings to its emergence as one of Nigeria’s fastest-growing states in infrastructure, human capital, agriculture, and education.
“Dr Peterside has captured the essence of what leadership in our kind of environment demands — courage, adaptability, innovation, and a relentless focus on results,” the governor stated.
The governor noted that Leading in a Storm provides a roadmap for decision-making amid uncertainty, teaching leaders to stay calm in crises and convert turbulence into opportunity. He added that Beneath the Surface challenges leaders to interrogate root causes of persistent governance problems rather than settling for superficial solutions.
Governor Nwifuru further disclosed that the Ebonyi State Government will integrate key lessons from both books into its leadership and management development programmes for senior civil servants, local government chairmen, heads of MDAs, and project managers.
READ ALSO: Humm, Kellogg Professor Endorse Dakuku Peterside’s ‘Leading in a Storm’
According to him, Leading in a Storm would serve as a framework for proactive governance, systems thinking, and agility, while Beneath the Surface would be adopted as a guide for evidence-based policy reviews and sustainable project execution.
“Ebonyi has never shied away from innovation,” the governor said. “These books provide intellectual tools to optimise leadership, strengthen governance systems, and improve service delivery. From crisis management to citizen engagement, from agricultural expansion to smart education — we see in Dr Peterside’s work a practical guide for sustaining transformation.”
Governor Nwifuru reaffirmed his administration’s continued investment in human capital, agriculture, digital governance, health delivery, and infrastructure, stressing that adaptive leadership remains central to Ebonyi’s transformation agenda.