RSU VC Charges Permanent Secretaries to Become Architects of Transformational Service Delivery

The Vice-Chancellor of Rivers State University, RSU, Prof. Isaac Zeb-Obipi, has charged Permanent Secretaries in the Rivers State Public Service to become strategic institutional leaders, digital governance stewards and architects of transformational service delivery capable of connecting political priorities, administrative capacity and citizen-centred service delivery.

Prof. Zeb-Obipi gave the charge while delivering a keynote address at a three-day capacity-building programme for all Permanent Secretaries in the Rivers State Public Service, held at the Justice Mary Odili Judicial Institute Building, Port Harcourt, on Wednesday, 9th September 2026.

The Vice-Chancellor spoke on the topic, "The Modern Permanent Secretary: Strategic Leadership, Digital Governance and Transformational Public Service Delivery."

The programme was designed to strengthen the leadership and institutional capacity of Permanent Secretaries and equip them with the knowledge and competencies required to respond effectively to the changing demands of modern public administration.

The Vice-Chancellor noted that Permanent Secretaries have historically served as the institutional bridge between political authority and administrative execution, ensuring continuity in government, providing professional advice to political office holders and managing departmental resources and programmes.

However, he stressed that the role must evolve in response to the increasingly complex nature of governance. According to him, the modern Permanent Secretary can no longer rely solely on conventional budgeting, established procedures and regulatory compliance, but must demonstrate strategic leadership, innovation, adaptability and a clear understanding of emerging technologies.

Prof. Zeb-Obipi identified five strategic capabilities that Permanent Secretaries must develop and apply in practice: strategic foresight, strategic alignment, adaptive leadership, evidence-informed decision-making and public value leadership.

He explained that these capabilities collectively define strategic leadership for modern Permanent Secretaries, adding that each dimension reinforces the others to form a holistic framework for effective contemporary governance.

The Vice-Chancellor further noted that strategic capabilities could not be exercised in isolation from the rapidly changing technological environment. He therefore described digital governance as a core leadership competency rather than a peripheral technical function to be left exclusively to information technology professionals.

Prof. Zeb-Obipi said Permanent Secretaries, as architects of transformational change in public service delivery, should make digital strategic literacy, data governance, digital public infrastructure, responsible artificial intelligence, digital inclusion, service redesign, simplified administrative processes, outcome measurement and citizen-centred design central to their leadership approach.

He explained that digital transformation should go beyond the mere acquisition of technology, stressing the need for public institutions to rethink how services are designed, delivered, evaluated and improved. He urged the Permanent Secretaries to ensure that technology is deployed in ways that improve efficiency, transparency, accessibility, accountability and the overall experience of citizens.

The Vice-Chancellor also encouraged the Permanent Secretaries to develop the capacity to navigate competing pressures across administrative, political and technological environments. He stressed that effective public administration requires leaders who can balance institutional continuity with the need for innovation and reform.

According to him, the modern Permanent Secretary must combine enduring public service values of impartiality, accountability, professionalism and continuity with strategic foresight, digital literacy, adaptive leadership and a strong commitment to public value.

He further emphasised the importance of evidence in public-sector decision-making, urging the Permanent Secretaries to make greater use of reliable data, measurable outcomes and citizen feedback in developing and implementing government policies and programmes.

Prof. Zeb-Obipi noted that public institutions must increasingly measure their success by the quality and impact of the services they provide to citizens, rather than merely by the completion of administrative processes or the utilisation of allocated resources.

He therefore challenged the Permanent Secretaries to see themselves not simply as administrators of existing systems but as institutional leaders with the responsibility to identify opportunities for reform, strengthen public-sector capacity and build institutions capable of delivering sustainable results.

In his concluding remarks, Prof. Zeb-Obipi said successful modernisation depends not merely on adopting new technologies, but on transforming the way public institutions think, operate, make decisions and respond to citizens.

He urged the Permanent Secretaries to embrace their evolving responsibilities and provide the strategic leadership required to build a more responsive, innovative, efficient and citizen-focused Rivers State Public Service.