The Oyo State government yesterday migrated to e-governance as Governor Abiola Ajimobi launched phase one of the state’s e–Governance initiative.
He directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to embrace the new initiative with immediate effect.
Launching the initiative at the state’s ICT centre, Ajimobi said it was imperative to increase productivity, efficiency and service delivery to move the state forward.
The governor noted that this led to the immediate automation of government’s system.
He said: “Oyo State is migrating from paper governance to e-governance. Our vision is for our state to be the technology hub of the country and we need to start from within. People might say it is impossible, but we are dreaming big and ready to walk the talk.
“All MDAs should embrace this initiative as from today, and we are ready to back it up with the all necessary infrastructure to make it work. It is a that to survive in this modern day, you must be technology compliant.
“As from today, we want a fast, efficient and result-oriented civil/public service in Oyo State. Information is key as well as knowledge; the ability to manipulate the knowledge is our today and tomorrow for a better Oyo state.”
Tag: e-governance
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Oyo govt migrates to e-governance
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Sokoto’s E-governance example
Until now, not much was known about Sokoto’s huge investment in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector. But that situation changed when it defeated 35 other states in the country to win the prestigious award of Best State in e-Governance at the 2016 E-Nigeria Expo and Conference. The award, instituted by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), recognises and promotes excellence in governance through ICT.
The assessment criteria for the highly competitive award include capacity building in the sector, generation of employment opportunities, improved education and healthcare services using ICT, operational efficiency of ICT tools, self-help services among others.
E-governance is regarded as the ICT-enabled route to achieving good governance. It integrates people, processes, information, and technology in the service of governance initiatives. The expected benefits have led to increase in the efficiency of government operations, strengthening democracy, enhancing transparency, and providing better services to citizens and businesses.
The vision of e-government is the optimization of services so that government can achieve its goals. When Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal took over the mantle of leadership in Sokoto State in May 2015, he outlined the ‘Government ICT Strategy’ which aimed to ensure that, in a dynamic technology environment, it can achieve the government’s plan of an ICT-enabled transformation of public services of the state.
The ICT Strategy provided an opportunity of benefitting from several emerging game-changing trends that support better public service by putting citizens and public institutions at the centre of design and delivery of digital services.
The Government ICT Strategy 2015 has three focus areas: Enhancing citizen awareness about ICT; Applying ICT in public sector transformation; and partnerships with the private sector and other stakeholders to deepen application of ICT in the state. The success of the strategy has so far led agencies to collaborate with one another and with vendors to deliver better public services to the people of Sokoto.
In practical terms, to achieve the aims and objectives of the government’s e-strategy, Tambuwal revived the State ICT Directorate and made it a parastatal under the Ministry of Science and Technology. The directorate has helped to coordinate and spearhead transformation of the state’s ICT landscape. To demonstrate government’s commitment to the sector, the ICT Directorate was allocated the sum of N1.1 billion for its operations in the 2016 budget. This amount is staggering considering the fact that only N80m was allocated to the directorate in the preceding year.
Realising the importance of social media to today’s governance strategy, Tambuwal, upon assumption of office, created a Social Media Unit domiciled in his office. The new unit, which operates closely with the office of the Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, is enjoying the same privileges as the (traditional) media crew attached to the Government House. The unit coordinates activities of all government-assisted online groups, and interacts, on behalf of the government, with interested persons and groups seeking information about government’s policies and programmes.
Tambuwal had made it clear that he would continue to explore different avenues to widen interaction with special groups, especially the youths. “Adequate training will be organised for the youths to equip them with the latest knowledge in online information management. By the creation of this unit, we hope to engage our youths and also get their inputs in the running of the government. Our youths played critical roles during the campaigns to mobilise our people for the task ahead. We want them to do more by offering quality suggestions on their vision for Sokoto State,” the governor had said while announcing the creation of the new unit. Buoyed by the success of the unit, the government later gave approval for the integration of social media units into all MDAs to effectively publicise government activities.
In March 2016, Sokoto became one of two states to represent Nigeria at the Smart Cities Program in Washington DC, USA, which was organized jointly by the United States Government and Government of Nigeria through NIST and NITDA respectively.
Widening the scope of the application of information technology in governance saw the state deploy ICT in the accreditation of all its students schooling abroad, thereby modernising record keeping at the State Scholarship Board. This ensured massive savings of public funds. The focus of e-governance also led to the provision of computer facilities in all tertiary institutions, and select primary and secondary schools to serve as pilot centres for ICT education. This is not forgetting the building of Computer Based Test Centres (CBT) in the three senatorial zones for students writing JAMB and other public officials writing promotion examinations.
Government has made public commitment to support entrepreneurs in the ICT sector. Once the policy is implemented, knowledge will be enhanced, while start-ups will benefit from new investment to develop their expertise.
Another important project that will come on stream in 2017 is the world class Data Analysis Centre for the state Ministry of Health. The Centre will be used in tracking and analysis of health-related data in Sokoto, Zamfara and Kebbi states.
The government is not relenting in efforts to deepen application of ICT in all public endeavours. Recently, it announced that it is working with the Federal Government to develop the sector. Briefing reporters after a meeting with the Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu, Tambuwal said the state government will leverage on the modest achievements recorded in the ICT sector in the last one year, and welcomed the opportunity to partner the Federal Government for the benefit of the state. He said his administration has “extensively applied ICT in various spheres of governance,” and will continue to do so because the new method enhances good governance and helps in tackling corruption at all levels.
No doubt, use of modern day technologies such as medical treatment databases, cell phones to improve livelihoods, and computers to enable citizens to compete for online jobs in the global market, will continue to enrich the lives of the people in many ways. The example set by Sokoto is that governments can become closer to its people through the use of information technology and communications, thereby increasing efficiency and helping to make their lives better.•Imam writes from Sokoto and is on Twitter @imamdimam
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Obaseki promises to introduce e-governance
Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo state, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has stated that he planned to eliminate wastage and block leakages by introducing e-governance.
Obaseki said e-governance is more transparent, accurate and makes governance run faster.
He spoke at an interactive session with some social-media expert.
The APC candidate said he would make Edo the hub of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), with a view to gainfully engage youths in the sector.
Obaseki promised to revolutionize governance in a manner that both the people and government can have immediate feed backs on issues affecting them.
He did, “We have built the foundation where we can consolidate on the achievements made in the education sector, but priority will be on primary education because that is the basis and we must get it right from day one.
“And that is why I said this election is very critical to me and the APC because we want to avoid a disconnect of what the current administration has achieved in the past seven and half years
“Not getting it right with polices have always been the problem of many state governments. Once you get the policy right, every other thing will fall into place,” he stated.
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NITDA: People, process, tech key to e-governance
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has identified people, process and technology as key success factors in the deployment of electronic or e-governance tool in the country and the benefits therefrom.
Its acting Director General, Dr Vincent Olatunji who spoke on: Information Technology- A Veritable Tool for Governance and Achieving a Corrupt Free Public Administration, at Nigerian Telecom Awards, in Lagos said President Muhammadu Buhari has mounted a holistic anti-corruption crusade as one of the tenets of his administration, adding however that strong and transparent institutions are required to achieve good governance and a corrupt free administration.
According to him, Information Technology (IT) provides a veritable platform for the development of such strong and transparent institutions as it supports reduction of waste and enthrones efficient service delivery which are two key areas of focus of this administration.
He said IT allows for the identification of processes that lead to waste and inefficiency and also allows for the automation of processing that can prevent human error, both intentional and unintentional.
On strengthening institutions and ensuring successful e-governance, said people are critical, stressing that they can either support the delivery of effective governance or serve as a clog in the wheel of progress, hence they require knowledge to perform optimally or otherwise.
He said processes refer to a series of actions taken to achieve a specific goal.
“Institutional processes can either strengthen or weaken governance in an institution. Technology can be used to speed up the processes and improve efficiency,” Olatunji said.
On technology, he said it include hardware and software, satellite systems, and others leading to emerging technologies such as social networking, big data analytics, cloud computing and Internet of Things (IoTs).
“e-Government is not only about ‘e’ but about government; e-government is not about computers and websites but about citizens and businesses; e-government is not about translating processes but about transforming processes,” Olatunji said.
He said the key areas of the National E-government Initiative include Connected Government; Informed Citizenry (through the services.gov.ng portal) and Open Government/Open Data Initiative such as WAEC, JAMB, Customs, Immigrations, Schools, CAC.
He said this has had a tremendous effect on the financial sector which witnessed over N4trillion worth of transactions last year.
Other eGovernment Component of the Nigerian ICT4D Plan include the National e-Government Master Plan in collaboration with Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) implementation which he said led Communications Technology Minister, Adebayo Shittu, to lead a 14-man delegation to Korea for a 10-day High Level Capacity Building for e-Government in Nigeria. He said it was designed by KOICA.
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E-governance ‘ll fight graft, say Shittu, Oyedepo
The Minister of Communications Technology, Adebayo Shittu and Chancellor, Covenant University, Dr. David Oyedepo, have urged Nigerians to embrace information communications technology (ICT) as a major tool to move the nation forward.
They argued that the implementation of electronic or e-government policy will not only bring about transparency but assure good governance. They spoke during this year’s Covenant University Conference on e-Governance in Nigeria, in Otta, Ogun State.
Shittu said the Federal Government believes in the implementation of e-government as a policy that would help improve efficiency in the public service, block financial leakages, improve transparency and reduce corruption to the barest minimum, while bringing government closer to the people.
According to him, the adoption of e-government across all Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) has improved. He added that there is still a lot more work to be done both at the federal and state level.
“We have developed an e-Government Masterplan, which is a framework to guide the adoption and implementation of e-Government programs across government,” he said.
Represented by a Director in the Ministry, Tope Fashedemi, the minister spoke on: Information and Communication Technologies for Governance in Nigeria: Achievements, Challenges and Opportunities.
According to the Shittu, e-government is the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) as a tool to facilitate improved service delivery between government and its customers which comprise its citizens, registered businesses, foreigners, government (MDAs), state government and local government, among others.
He said; “Based on the importance of e-government for our administration, we are keen on delivering improved government services to the citizenry, while focusing on the need to improve the capacity of the public sector workforce to be properly skilled and equipped to deliver on the government mandate in this new dispensation.”
He noted that there are several advantages to be derived from purposeful implementation of e-government, including cost savings which will result in effective service delivery, enhanced transparency and accountability, improved public administration and growth of the ICT sector which will lead to employment opportunities and improved economic development.
He said ICT is a positive catalyst to development, adding that a holistic adoption and implementation of e-government will result in an increase in the sector’s contribution to the GDP.
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Covenant varsity begins forum on e-governance
The Third Covenant University Conference on E-governance will begin tomorrow at African Leadership Development Centre in the institution, Canaan Land, Ota, Ogun State.
The theme of the conference is “Information and Communication Technologies for Governance in Nigeria: Achievements, Challenges and Opportunities.”
Minister of Communications Adebayo Shittu is the special guest of honour. The keynote speakers are: Sir Demola Aladekomo, Chairman, SmartCity Resorts Plc; Prof. Kelechi Kalu, vice provost of international affairs and professor of political science at the University of California, Riverside, among others.
The conference is designed to provide a platform for academics, policymakers, industry practitioners and civil society actors to address the general theme of the integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) in administrative and organisational practices in Nigeria.
The conference facilitator, Professor Patience Akpan-Obong of the Arizona State University, USA, said the conference will provide academics, especially junior faculty members and graduate students with a forum to present the results of their research and receive valuable feedback from senior colleagues at the conference.
According to her, policymakers and industry practitioners will also gain deeper understanding of the factors facilitating or hindering greater integration of ICTs in governance from presentations of research results.
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Harmonising database will enhance e-governance, says Computer Society
The Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) has said the harmonisation of the national database is a right and fundamental step towards a functional e-government system.
In a statement on Sunday in Lagos, Prof. Sola Aderounmu, the NCS president, said it would assist in the fight against crime, when agencies draw data from the same database.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that President Muhammadu Buhari recently directed the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to harmonise the biometric data.
The statement noted that the directive was imperative, considering the huge cost of biometric exercises.
It said biometric exercises included the cost of personnel, storage of acquired data and cost of making such data available.
The statement also said e-government services would bring together the government, the governed, civil society, professional bodies and other stakeholders.
It recalled that the NCS, at its 2013 general meeting, canvassed that e-government, when properly deployed, would deliver optimisation of service.
The statement said quality service would aid the attainment of Vision 20:20:20.
It stressed the need to evolve the technology and framework for storing, protecting and making available data, while safeguarding the privacy of citizens’ Personal Identifiable Information (PII).
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Plateau entrenches e-governance
Plateau State Governor Jonah David Jang has said that e-governance has been entrenched in the state civil service system, noting that some of the state’s ministries, agencies and commissions have fully become Information Communication Technology (ICT) compliant. He said the state has become one of the ICT-compliant states in the country.
Governor Jang spoke at the opening ceremony of a five-day computer appreciation capacity building training programme organised for commissioners and heads of commissions on Information Communication Technology (ICT).
The training was organised by the state Ministry of Science and Technology in collaboration with the ICT Directorate of the University of Jos.
Jang said: “The growing interest in e-governance activities by governments the world over has made it imperative for the deployment of ICT to drive efficiency and transparency in government and further improve quality of public service delivery.”
Continuing, he said: “It is indeed a fact that, the world over, ICT has made significant impact on every aspect of our lives, thus the attainment of knowledge-based economy and information society both of which are ICT-propelled.
“This has continued to attract global discourse with due recognition of the increasing role of knowledge in engendering economic growth and social transformation.
“Without doubt, information technology has become very much a core of modern civilisation. In view of this, this administration is convinced that, through effective utilisation of these tools, we can bridge, not only the digital divide between the government and the governed, but also keep pace with modern trends in public service delivery.”
Speaking further, Jang maintained: “I have made it clear in the past that all members of the state executive council, key decision-makers and those involved in policy implementation must be ICT compliant. It is on that premise that I directed the Ministry of Science and Technology to urgently organise training programmes that will achieve the desired result.
“The first phase of this training was conducted from January 13 to 17, this year for all Special Advisers and Permanent Secretaries. The second phase which commences today is tailored to meet the needs of members of the State Executive Council, Heads of Commissions and Aides to the Governor.
“Having realised that information technology was going to be one of the key components to be deployed in propelling the transformation agenda, I immediately created the ICT Committee. I am glad to note that its recommendations assisted in the automation of the following sub-sectors which are yielding positive results. These include integration of civil servants biometric in the Office of the Head of Service with the integrated salary unit of the Ministry of Finance, automation of the operations of the Ministry of Finance as well as automation of the operations of the Plateau State Board of Internal Revenue Service.
“It may be of interest to you that these projects have yielded great dividends to the state. For instance, the state’s internally-generated revenue (IGR) profile has significantly improved after the automation process. I will want to use this opportunity to commend the ICT Committee for their remarkable strides.
“It may also interest you to know that the Plateau State Geographic Information System Project has commenced in the Ministry of Lands, Survey and Town Planning. Automation of some key sectors of the state government will also take place within the year.”
Governor Jang also noted: “This training is, therefore, timely as it will offer all participants the opportunity to be ICT compliant as well as enhance their productivity. While I congratulate you all, I must urge you to avail yourselves of this rare opportunity by taking this exercise seriously for the overall interest of Plateau State.”
Praising the ICT Directorate of the University of Jos, Governor Jang said: “May I also commend the ICT Directorate of the University of Jos for accepting to carry out these trainings. I hope that this strategic partnership with the University of Jos will be sustained to enable other categories of staff of the state public service to benefit in similar trainings. Our job is not finished until we have fully taken all our public servants to the cyberspace where necessary information and knowledge truly reside.
“I have no doubt in my mind, therefore, that this Redemption Government will continue to be a most worthy partner as all is being done to explore ways and means of making government machinery and the entire workforce more ICT-oriented and efficient,” he said.
While welcoming participants to the training, Commissioner for Science and Technology, Mrs Comfort Piwuna urged them to avail themselves of the opportunity in order to become computer literate. This, she said, will enable the state to run the e-governance effectively.