By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

Abuja will on Tuesday play host to a high-level convergence of policy thinkers, senior government officials and private sector leaders as Vice President Kashim Shettima chairs the maiden Hadiza Bala Usman Governance Colloquium, organised to mark the 50th birthday of the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination and Head of the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit,CRDCU.

The landmark event, scheduled for 10am at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, is expected to spotlight the evolving demands of leadership in public service, with a strong focus on delivery, accountability and institutional reform in Nigeria’s governance architecture.

Renowned public policy expert and former Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Dr. Joe Abah, will deliver the keynote address on the theme, “Leadership, Delivery, and the Courage to Serve.”

Organisers say the address will set the tone for an intellectually rigorous engagement on how discipline, courage and results-oriented leadership can strengthen public sector performance.

The colloquium will also feature a panel discussion comprising distinguished policy and governance experts with decades of experience in fiscal management, economic policy, institutional reform and leadership development.

Panelists include Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee; Dr. Muhammad Sani Abdullahi, Deputy Governor (Economic Policy) of the Central Bank of Nigeria; and Mr. Waziri Adio, Founder and Executive Director of Agora Policy and former Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative ,NEITI.

Others are Ms. Rinsola Abiola, Director-General of the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre, and Dr. Habiba Lawal, retired Permanent Secretary and former Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination.

According to the planning committee, the colloquium is designed as a strategic platform for deep reflection and dialogue on results-based governance, sustainable institutional reform and the often-overlooked courage required to drive transformative change within Nigeria’s public service.

“Beyond celebrating a milestone birthday, this colloquium is about interrogating what it truly takes to make government work for citizens,how leadership choices, policy coherence and delivery discipline intersect to produce tangible outcomes,” the organisers said.

Hadiza Bala Usman was appointed Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Policy and Coordination in June 2023, a role that places her at the centre of aligning government policies and tracking the President’s delivery agenda across ministries, departments and agencies.

As Head of the CRDCU, she is tasked with ensuring that policy commitments translate into measurable results.

Her public service journey spans key roles at both state and federal levels. In 2015, she was appointed Chief of Staff to the Governor of Kaduna State by former Governor Nasir el-Rufai.

A year later, she made history as the first female Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority ,NPA, serving from July 2016 to February 2022, where she oversaw far-reaching reforms in port administration.

Beyond government, Bala Usman is also known for her civic engagement. She co-founded the global #BringBackOurGirls movement in 2014, which galvanized international attention and advocacy for the rescue of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls.

As dignitaries gather to reflect on leadership, service and delivery, the Hadiza Bala Usman Governance Colloquium is expected to not only celebrate a notable public servant at 50, but also contribute meaningfully to the national conversation on building a more effective, accountable and citizen-focused public sector in Nigeria.