Abia Building Tech-driven Civil Service – Gov Otti

Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has said his administration is building a technologically-driven civil service, urging the civil servants to embrace the system or face stagnation.

Otti stated this yesterday at the flag-off of the first phase of the Umuahia Dedicated Internet Access/Wide Area Network Project in Umuahia, the state capital.

He said, “You either upskill and grow or become uncompetitive and stagnant. This is not to threaten anyone. It is just to call your attention to the need for you to open yourselves up to new technology.

“Going forward, certain levels of efficiency with the use of relevant technology shall now be required as a necessary condition for exposure to new opportunities and promotions in the service.

“While the state will avail its employees all the right support to scale their IT systems knowledge, it is incumbent on everyone to appreciate that the old era of operational inefficiency is gone for good.

“Sufficient resources have already been earmarked for capacity-building programmes. We want to achieve seamless deployment across all service institutions.”

The group managing director of ipNX, the firm handling the project,  Ejovi Aror, said the project would facilitate efficient service delivery and unlock economic potential.

While assuring that the project would ensure seamless productivity, he asserted that the firm was commitment to working closely with the government to ensure the project’s success.

Aror, who lauded the governor for finding the firm capable for the project, added that the project marked the beginning of a new era in the state’s journey towards technological and economic empowerment.

The state’s head of service, Benson Ojeikere, said the project was a landmark achievement for civil servants, lauding the governor for prioritising the service in his transformational agenda.

“The civil servants will reciprocate the governor’s commitment by working with a renewed sense of diligence, urgency, and integrity,” he said.

Earlier in an address, the state’s chief information officer, Gerald Ilukwe, said  the phase was focused on multi-tenant government buildings with multiple ministries, departments and agencies.

“By the end of the year, the entire government offices in Umuahia will be interconnected to enable workers conduct their operations more securely than traditional paper-based methods,” he added.