The Governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo and his successor, Godwin Obaseki have expressed disagreement over the shutdown of the state’s e-governance platform.
The Governor said that the entire e-governance platform is being run and operated from the backend by unknown non-state actors, and no one within the whole public service of the state has administrative control of the platform.
In a statement on Monday through the Secretary to the State Government, Umar Ikhilor, the governor ordered an immediate review of the platform.
Okpebholo added that all officials and staff of Ministries, Departments and Agencies are to continue to work on the platform pending the outcome of the ongoing review.
However, Obaseki, in a statement on Tuesday by his spokesman, Crusoe Osagie, stated that Okpebholo’s excuses for shutting down the platform are shameful and regressive.
The former governor said Okpebholo’s decision was a sign of a clueless government and an insult to the sensibilities of Edo workers and the people of the state.
Obaseki stated that the platform is operated by the Edo ICT Agency, a parastatal under the Edo State Ministry of Digital Economy, with the support of expert consultants.
The statement read, “We read with surprise and deep disappointment the utterly ridiculous statement by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Umar Musa Ikhilor, where he laboriously attempted to justify the illogical shutdown of the Edo e-governance platform and the decision to revert the state’s civil service operations back to paper files to run the government.
“This irrational decision is not only shameful and regressive but also an insult to the sensibilities of Edo workers and the people of the state. It further exposes the government’s cluelessness and lack of the depth and knowledge required for effective governance and administration in the 21st century.
“To be clear, the platform is operated by the Edo ICT Agency, a parastatal under the Edo State Ministry of Digital Economy, with the support of expert consultants, ensuring a digital and efficient system for government processes and operations.
“However, the unprepared and clueless government of Senator Monday Okpebholo, having come into power through one of the most flawed electoral processes in the country, has since sacked most of the senior civil servants in the agency. As a result, the government is now hamstrung and unable to run the e-gov system effectively.”
