By Stella Odueme
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoSF), Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, has stressed that ministries, extra-ministerial departments, and agencies (MDAs), having been given the opportunity to ensure adequate budgetary allocation in the 2024 budget, will have no excuse not to up their game on digitalization come 2024.
The move is to meet the deadline of 2025 as stipulated in the Federal Civil Service and Strategy and Implementation Plan, 2021-2025 (FCSSIP25).
She said this at a one-day retreat on digitalization for the Head of Service and Permanent Secretaries held in Abuja.
Speaking on the theme “Towards the Digitalization of the Public Service by 2025,” the HoSF said that all the FCSSIP25 pillars are anchored on digitalization, insisting that for the service to run with these pillars, it must digitalize its work processes.
She expressed dissatisfaction that Nigeria is lagging behind in terms of digitalization, as 90 percent of governments in the world have since gone digital and are presently deploying artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. Re-emphasizing the gains of going digital, such as a reduction in the cost of governance and waste reduction, as well as the provision of information at the backup with saved data, she urged MDAs to ensure uniformity and interoperability of data in order to achieve common set goals.
In his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties Office, OHCSF, Engr. Farouk Yusuf Yabo, said that the HoSF is committed to ensuring that the service works digitally.
He added that OHCSF has been carrying everyone along in order to achieve that.
In their Goodwill Messages, the representative of the Aig-Imoukhoude Foundation, Miss Chioma Njoku, reiterated the foundation’s commitment to ensuring that the service works for the good of its citizens, while the Director-General, NITDA, Mr. Kashifu Inuwa, confirmed that digitalization is the only solution that will bring the entire system together.
He expressed optimism about the successful achievement of its implementation in 2025.
In a presentation delivered by Engr. Yabo, he hinted that the journey to digitalization has already begun as he spoke on the vision, strategies, and what the OHCSF has done so far in this regard.
He also highlighted the importance of digitalization, which includes cost management, sovereignty, globalisation, data security, transparency, and interoperability, amongst others.
In another presentation by the Director, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Mr. Adeniyi Dada and the Director, Galaxy Backbone (GBB), took the audience through the “Government e-mail Initiative.” He assured me that the office is set to meet the 2025 target.
He also affirmed that MDAs are already aware of government e-mails with the increase in the number of e-mail slots allocated by GBB from 10,000 to 40,000 to 100,000 from 2009 to date.
The Permanent Secretaries suggested the following: cyber security training; standardisation of the internet; and for GBB to up their game in the provision of quality internet to civil servants; budget allocation for monitoring of MDAs; making ICT independent; and inter-ministerial recruitment to shore up the capacity gap.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Mr. Olusade Adesola, urged MDAs to fast-track the implementation of their digitalization processes by engaging with the OHCSF for guidance.
The MDAs were requested to be more proactive in streamlining issues that need GBB’s attention, as well as ensure that they make adequate provisions in their budget, as digitalization is dear to the heart of Mr. President.
A Panel Discussion moderated by the Permanent Secretary, SDO-OHCSF, featured both public and private partners, including the Director-General, NITDA, National Coordinator, Cyber Security, Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), M.D./CEO, GBB, Chief Executive Officer, Secured Records Management Solutions, President, Compliance Institute, Nigeria and CEO, Crown Initiative Ltd.
The discussants unanimously agreed that the Federal Civil Service is ready for digitalization.
The Minister of Communication, Digital Economy, and Innovation, Mr. Bosun Tijani, said that technology, having made things a lot easier, will greatly enhance service delivery.