The Edo State Government has stressed the need for all it’s ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure total compliance with it’s directive to switch from analogue to electronic governance (e-gov), insisting that the September 1 timeline compliance date is sacrosanct.
The State Head of Service (HOS), Barrister Anthony Okungbowa, restasted Edo State Government’s position on the e-governance initiative during his office’s interface with workers at the Edo State Sports Commission at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City on Monday, where a one day re-orientation exercise was organised.
Okungbowa said the exercise was to ensure that personnel are carried along in the implementation of the new policy, highlighting the benefits of e-governance to include speedy and efficient service delivery; abolishing analogue and cumbersome physical documentation system among others.
Represented by Dr. Peter Osagie, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the HOS said that staff would no longer need to move from one office to the other moving files or complaining about missing documents when e-gov is fully operational.
According to him, “There will be logins credentials for individuals to access the e-govern network.
“Workers can also use their Virtual Private Network (VPN) to access e-govern platform from anywhere.
“From September 1, any worker who is not e-gov compliant can’t go on leave or attend any programme that requires Duty Tour Allowance (DTA),” he stated.
Recall that Edo state Governor Mr. Godwin Obaseki, while hinting on the policy in 2021, said the State would leverage on technology because it is the new order of the world.
He said: “Nigeria public and civil service are weak and need help because whatever policy and pronouncements made by the government will not work because the civil service is weak.”
The Head of Service reassured that government want to make work and life easy and better for Edo state workers and urged all public servants to embrace the innovation.
Also speaking at the meeting, Mr. Goodluck Igbinedion, Managing Director, Edo Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) said the innovation would make governance seamless.
According to him, “It takes care of missing files and no file will stay more than 48 hours on any desk. This will not only ensure accountability, but will ensure efficiency in public service delivery
“The innovation will make it easy to track whoever leaks public documents. It will aid accountability and transparency in governance,” Igbinedion emphasized.
Earlier in a welcome address, the chairman Edo State Sports Commission, Olympian Yusuf Alli, thanked the Edo State Head of Service for the orientation exercise and tasked all heads of departments at the Sports Commission to ensure total compliance.
