Alex Otti, governor of Abia State, has said that digitalization is a non-negotiable pathway for effective and efficient governance and service delivery.
Otti stated this in his office during a meeting with officials of the Central Security Clearing System (CSCS) Plc.
He disclosed that his administration was committed to embracing technology for government operations.
“We must continue to innovate and integrate systems. Truth be told, if you don’t embrace technology, it will leave you behind.
“Even technology companies become irrelevant if they don’t move with the times,” Otti stated.
The governor highlighted the ongoing digital reforms in the state, pointing out that the government’s land administration system has already been fully digitised from application to Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) to actual issuance.
He said that as it is today, he approves C of Os digitally even from his desk; without papers or files, saying that, “this aligns perfectly with where we are headed”.
He expressed his administration’s commitment to the digitisation process, and recommended a follow-up technical session, involving the Secretary to the State Government, Head of Service, Chief Information Officer, and Commissioner for Science, Technology, and Innovation.
He expressed satisfaction with CSCS’s proposal to support the state with an Electronic Document Management System (EDMS).
Haruna Waziri, chief executive officer, CSCS, earlier in his speech, said that the organisation had evolved from handling client settlements to building tech infrastructure for seamless document digitisation and market integration.
“We also provide digital services to state governments and partners. And, we felt that at this stage, with the leadership of Alex Otti, it is just right to partner and start doing this.
“So, we are here to partner to build solutions to be able to help the people and the government of Abia State.
“There are two parts to this visit. We are here for a project, which is to digitalise or to suggest to the government to digitalise their operations.
“But more importantly, is that as part of this exchange group, we realize that Abia people are also very savvy about investment. There are a lot of companies in Abia State that need guidance around succession planning.
“As you know, many companies in Nigeria don’t go beyond one generation of wealth. Now, what we are trying to do is to bring together the exchange communities and the advisors, to come to Abia State and talk to the entrepreneurs of the state to see how they can build their businesses, raise money and become bigger companies and by extension, be more sustainable,” Waziri stated.
Adeyinka Shonekan, executive director of CSCS, also in remarks cited successful digitisation projects for Edo State Government, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Nigerian Television Authority, Polaris Bank, and several universities.
He said that CSCS uses a system called “M-Files” to support all business processes for data and workflow management, and assured of their commitment to partnering with the state government.
