How Okpebholo’s Cloud Will Give Edo Sovereign Digital Lungs

By Patrick Ahkere Ebojele, PhD

The launch of Edo Cloud by the administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo has breathed new life into the state’s digital governance journey, while also bringing to light the deep structural flaws in the former fraudulent e-governance platform inherited from the previous government. That administration made efforts to digitise public service processes, but with a system was weighed down by legal, technical and operational weaknesses that eventually made a full overhaul unavoidable.

With Edo Cloud — a fully state-owned, home-grown digital platform — Edo State has reclaimed control of its digital infrastructure and repositioned itself as a leading example of sustainable e-governance in Nigeria.

One of the biggest weaknesses of the failed e-governance platform was the absence of full state ownership. While it supported paperless governance and digital workflows, Edo State Government did not own the intellectual property behind the system. In practical terms, the state was running its daily operations on a platform it did not fully control — a risky position for any serious government.

Closely connected to this was restricted backend access. Government officials could not independently manage, modify or fully control the platform without relying on external consultants. This created a dangerous dependency that weakened institutional autonomy and exposed government operations to avoidable risks.

Another major concern was limited data sovereignty. Without full ownership, the state could not guarantee complete control over its data. In today’s digital world, where data security and privacy are central to governance, this was a significant vulnerability.

Sustainability was also a problem. With no internal control or ownership, the long-term future of the platform depended heavily on external parties. Any breakdown in that relationship could disrupt government operations, slow service delivery and reverse years of digital progress.

The system also lacked flexibility. It was not modular enough to support easy upgrades, expansion or integration of new services without heavy technical intervention. This slowed innovation and made it harder for the platform to evolve alongside the growing needs of the civil and public service.

On top of all this, technical dependency became a burden. Routine maintenance, updates and troubleshooting required outside support, increasing operational costs and limiting opportunities for in-house technical capacity development.

These defects may not have been obvious to the public, but they posed serious long-term risks to governance stability, service continuity and digital independence — risks the Okpebholo administration chose not to ignore.

Upon assuming office, Governor Monday Okpebholo ordered a thorough review of the state’s digital governance framework. According to the Head of Service, Dr. Anthony Okungbowa, the Governor found it unacceptable for Edo State to “breathe through the nostrils of another” — a clear reference to the state’s digital dependency.

Instead of patching a system that was fundamentally flawed, the administration chose a bolder and more sustainable path: building a fully state-owned, home-grown platform that would permanently resolve issues of ownership, control, security and sustainability.

That decision marked a turning point in Edo’s digital governance journey. The outcome of that bold choice is Edo Cloud — a state-owned cloud platform designed, built, managed and maintained entirely within Edo State’s technology ecosystem.

As part of its rollout, over 70 E-Governance Champions were trained at the John Odigie-Oyegun Public Service Academy (JOOPSA) in Benin City on the platform’s interface, functionality and deployment strategy. The training brought together civil servants from various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), alongside technical experts and key stakeholders.

Declaring the workshop open, Dr. Okungbowa described Edo Cloud as a major leap forward in the state’s digital transformation, noting that it is more robust, secure and user-friendly than the former system.

Unlike the old platform, Edo Cloud guarantees full data sovereignty, ensuring that Edo State alone owns, controls and manages its digital infrastructure and data assets.

It also provides unrestricted backend access, empowering government technical teams to independently manage, modify, upgrade and maintain the system without external interference.

Another key strength of Edo Cloud is sustainability. Because it is fully state-owned, the platform eliminates long-term dependence on third parties, reduces operational costs and ensures continuity of service regardless of political transitions.

Technically, Edo Cloud features a modular architecture that supports continuous upgrades, easy integration of new services and seamless expansion across MDAs. This ensures the platform grows with the needs of the civil and public service.

Speaking on the technical design, Dr. Benjamin Ben, who led the development team, explained that Edo Cloud offers improved data control, a unified user experience, enhanced scalability and automated workflows.

– Ebojele is Chief Press Secretary to Edo State Governor Senator Monday Okpehbholo