By DAPO FALADE
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has inaugurated 1,108 computer systems, being the first phase of the process of actualisating of e-governance model in the state.
The governor, who commissioned the systems inside the Department of Information Communication Technology Office of the Governor’s Office, Agodi, Ibadan, on Thursday, said the measure would fast-track the processes and activities of government through ICT.
The governor told members of his cabinet and ICT experts at the event that the computer systems would be distributed to ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), adding that fibre-optic cables are already laid around the Secretariat, to ensure internet access and linkage by the MDAs.
Makinde, in a statement by his media aide, Taiwo Adisa, the tools needed to ensure the proper take-off of e-governance model in the state is being put in place.
The statement indicated that the state was kickstarting the first phase of e-governance in line with the global trends and quoted the governor as saying that by the end of his tenure, e-governance would have taken firm roots in the state.
According to the governor, the era in which the government gets bogged down with physical files and papers should be a thing of the past in the state.
“It has been really challenging in dealing with physical files. They bring files in Ghana-Must-Go bags for me to sign almost on a weekly basis. And we don’t think that, in this day and age, that is what we should be doing and that is why we are starting with the first phase of e-governance in Oyo State.
“It is not just the computers you have; you have the fibre-optic being laid. All the tools that you need in there, word processing and collaboration tools are there.
“So, this first phase is being flagged off now and we do hope that before the end of this administration’s tenure, e-governance should have taken roots in Oyo State.
“Even, if we are not using it to approve things that have to do with money, approvals in principle can be done here (electronically) and when you get to the point where you want to give approval for things that have to do with spending the state’s money, then they bring the physical files.
“That will definitely reduce our turnaround time and also the heat of conducting government business,” the governor said.
Earlier, the Special Assistant to the governor on Information Communication Technology, Mr. ‘Bayo Akande, said the 1,108 computer systems procured will be distributed to all the MDAs across the Secretariat based on their needs.
“We procured 1,108 computer systems that will be distributed across all the various MDAs. Before we procured, we carried out a survey to ask the various ministries what they actually need. So, based on their needs, we then came up with the figure.”
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