Ict/Telecom
Expanding People’s Access To Government Services
By most accounts, all
the facets of human endeavour in the contemporary world are driven by Information and Communications Technology (ICT).
Observers note that Nigeria is striving to catch up with the trend in order not to be left out in the ICT-based civilisation of the 21st Century.
In demonstration of the country’s determination to adopt global best practices in ICT applications, the Ministry of Communication Technology recently inaugurated a single window website: the Government Service Portal.
It is a website where anyone can have access to all kinds of information about Nigeria, ranging from government to citizens, business and foreign national services.
The inauguration in April was in line with Nigeria’s efforts to join the global initiative of “getting government online’’ to improve public service delivery to the citizens.
Few months after its inauguration, observers have described the website as a veritable channel for the citizens to access timely information about government services.
They noted that the government could, via the website, also get feedback on the citizens’ reactions to various topical issues.
The contents of the portal, which is being managed by the Ministry of Communication Technology, are currently available in three languages — English, French and Spanish
At the website’s inauguration in Abuja, the Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, said that it was just one of the ministry’s projects aimed at stepping up ICT use in the country. According to her, the portal— www.services.gov.ng – will also enable the people to have access to information on the services provided by various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
She listed some of the newly-automated processes and services that were already available on the portal as patent and trademark registration, evaluation and accreditation of academic certificates and farmers’ registration.
Others include registration and accreditation of seed companies, seeds’ import and export permits, application for spectrum licence, licensing procedures for class type licence and licensing procedures for individual type licence.
Johnson noted that the project was the outcome of a survey which the United Nations (UN) carried out across 48 countries on “Innovative e-Government Practices’’ among nations.
Their finding is that citizen service delivery is topmost on the government innovative technology adoption all over the world.
Thus, governments’ use of the Internet to deliver government services has revolutionised the speed and effectiveness of government service delivery and public administration across the world.
Therefore, governments increasingly recognise that e-government offers not just a new technology but also a mechanism to transform the way government operates; and we can no longer be left behind,’’ she said.
However, Johnson noted that a number of government services, which were rendered by various MDAs, could now be accessed online via the new website.
“What we have done is that we developed a single point of entry for Nigerians and other stakeholders to access government services online.
With this website, you can tell from a single point, what is exactly available as to the government services online,’’ she added.
The minister stressed that in addition to creating a single window of entry into government services; the ministry would liaise and work with other ministries to introduce subsidiary online services.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Henry Akpan, said that the portal would promote investments that would enhance the wellbeing of Nigerians.
“The services portal will not only give access to government information, services or processes, but it will also give businesses as well as other stakeholders the means to reach the government. “By doing so, citizens and businesses will benefit in terms of saving costs, time and efforts, while the government will also gain through service-citizen engagement, feedback and trust,’’ he said.
The Managing Director of Galaxy Backbone Plc., Mr Gerald Ilukwe, said that even though Galaxy was the main ICT service provider for Federal Government establishments; the company was only a key partner in the website project.
He said that his company only functioned as the technology enabler, providing a robust and secure platform through which services could be provided or accessed.
He pledged that the company would continue to work hard to improve the citizens’ confidence in the government service portal by ensuring its smooth operations.
“We will also continue to make significant efforts in terms of building all sorts of software and hardware protection for the website. Galaxy Backbone, with the support of the ministry, the Federal Government and the National Assembly, has been able to make some investments in ICT infrastructure development,’’ he said.
Nevertheless, Ilukwe underscored the need for separation of roles between the policy/programme coordinator, the technology provider/enabler and the online service owner/provider for the success of the new venture.
“Similar programmes have failed in the past due to confusion and overlapping roles,’’ he added.
All the same, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko, said that the portal would stimulate the transformation of Nigeria into a country with a conducive business environment.
Dikko, who was represented by the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs, Mr Bashar Yusuf, noted that the cost of doing business in Nigeria was hitherto cumbersome, adding that the development accounted for the recent poor economic rating of the country.
However, the Chairman of the House of Representatives’ committee on ICT, Rep. Shehu Gusau, urged the ministry to collaborate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to sensitise all the Nigerian embassies abroad to the use of the portal to attract investments into the country.
The lawmaker also advised the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to provide Nigerians with hitch-free Internet access to enable them to use the portal, especially in the rural areas.
Observers maintain that all things being equal, the Government Service Portal will spur national development, as vital information about government services will be readily available to all and sundry.
Emmanuel Olaniruha writes from NAN
Emmanuel Olaniruha
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has assured Nigerians of accessible, resilient and safe digital space in the nation’s digital economy.
The Executive Commissioner, Stakeholders Management, NCC, Rimini Makama, gave the assurance at the NCC’s Digital Economy Sensitisation Forum, with the theme, “Leaving No One Behind: Digital Access, Equity and Empowerment” in Abuja.
Makama said that the commission remained committed to ensuring that Nigeria’s national telecommunications infrastructure remained resilient, accessible and secure.
“Digital empoScientists Advocate Shared Responsibility To Boost Food Securitywerment must be inclusive. Without inclusion and equity, the benefits of the digital economy will remain unevenly distributed.
“The commission, through its Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) and other initiatives, is actively extending digital opportunities to the unserved, underserved, physically challenged and vulnerable groups through several impactful programmes,” he said.
The Publicity Expert for the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Dr Nihinlola Fefa, said that the association had been an advocate of cyber security awareness and sensitisation over the years.
“ATCON has been a very key stakeholder in the ICT and telecom industry. We have always advocated for cybersecurity awareness and sensitisation.
“We have been giving our own input over the years. We interface with all the telecom companies. We do a lot of studies, and we also give our contributions in so many ways,” she said.
She commended the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, for deploying technology into rural communities.
According to her, though Nigeria is doing well in the area of cybersecurity, there is room for improvement.
“We are in a good position right now and we can do better from the government side,” she said.
Also speaking, the Head, IT and Cybersecurity, National Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Olorunisomo Isola, said that the commission had rolled out the necessary framework.
An economist, Dr Chinedu Amadi, has urged Nigerians to leverage the opportunities inherent in Artificial Intelligence (AI) to become competitive in the global business and social spaces.
Amadi, who is also the President, Organisation of Youth in International Trade and Commerce (OY-ITC), gave the urge during an interview with newsmen , in Abuja, Monday.
Amadi noted that humanity has always advanced by expanding its intelligence and capabilities through technology across different eras pointing out that AI now drives economic systems, social interactions and competitive advantage among nations globally.
“The world is entering a phase where humans and intelligent machines will share cognitive functions, so Nigeria should innovate or risk being sidelined in the emerging global digital order.
“The next frontier extends beyond AI tools to a deeper relationship between human consciousness and machine intelligence. This phase has the dawn of shared human machine cognition shaping future innovation and development worldwide,” he said.
Amadi noted that countries like the U.S., Japan and China already integrated AI into national planning, logistics and defence operations.
He warned that a deeper wave of collaboration between humans and intelligent systems is rapidly emerging
urging Nigeria and other African nations not to remain passive observers in this technological transition.
“Nigeria must innovate urgently or risk missing another major industrial revolution. Future global leadership will favour nations that create, regulate and ethically manage advanced technologies,” he added.
He said that the youthful population is viewed as a potential cognitive economy capable of driving digital creativity.
He advised policymakers and institutions to develop indigenous technologies, reflecting national priorities and moral values.
The president, however, noted that energy and agricultural sector can gain efficiency through predictive AI and advanced computation, adding that governance can also benefit from digital systems that strengthen transparency and curb corruption.
While noting that neural interfaces and quantum processing would soon merge human thought with computationAmadi said that the evolution demands ethical guidance, empathy and deeper human conscience in education system.
According to him, nations worldwide are racing to regulate AI and Nigeria also needs to define its strategic position.
“The future beyond AI will favour societies that balance innovation with wisdom and uphold human dignity,” he said.
The Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Limited says the country’s digital broadcast subsector has expanded by 35 per cent to 75 per cent utilisation in two years.
This, it said, represented a milestone in the country’s digital transformation drive.
The Managing Director, NIGCOMSAT, Mrs Jane Egerton-Idehen, made the remark at a retreat with the theme: ‘Aligning for the Future: Innovation, Collaboration, and Sustainable Growth”, in Abuja, Monday.
According to her the theme reflects NIGCOMSAT’s commitment to driving Nigeria’s digital transformation and positioning itself as a global satellite industry leader.
She said one of the notable achievements in its broadcast segment was the Digital Switch Over (DSO) project, describing it as not just a technical milestone but also a national service.
“This growth is a testament to the organization’s improved service delivery and stronger engagement with partners and clients.
“The DSO project, a collaborative effort with the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), is a key milestone in Nigeria’s digital transformation.
“NIGCOMSAT’s contribution to the project is enabling digital broadcasting penetration across the federation, cementing the organisation’s position at the centre of Nigeria’s digital transformation,” she said.
Egerton-Idehen said the achievements were expected to drive revenue growth, with target of three billion naira in annual revenue and eight billion naira in revenue within three years adding that the organisation’s expansion of broadband services and private sector partnership was key to achieving the goals.
“We cannot move boldly into the future without addressing the weight of the past. Our debt profile — both financial and operational — is a reality we must confront with strategy, discipline, and creativity.
“These are our headwinds. We acknowledge them openly because honesty is the first step toward transformation.,” Egerton-Idehen said.
She said in spite of challenges such as economic barriers and competition, the organisation remained optimistic about the future.
“We must out-innovate the market, deepen partnerships, and build a culture of solution-focused, profit-driven, and people-centered excellence.”
“The key initiatives include transitioning to software-defined satellites, expanding broadband services, and the NIGCOMSAT Accelerator for the Space Ecosystem.
“The organisation is prioritising public-private partnerships, branding, and communication, as well as investing in its people,” she said.
The Chief Executive Officer, Data Science Nigeria, Olubayo Adekanbi, said satellite-based economy could revolutionise key sectors such as agriculture, health, and education, creating new job opportunities and increasing productivity.
“By providing internet access to remote areas, satellite technology can bridge the digital divide and ensure no one is left behind.
