A total of 280 civil servants in the Abia state have graduated from computer literacy training organised by the state government with sponsorship of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom Government.
Addressing the graduands at the graduation cum closing ceremony of a 5 -day digital training for select civil servants, Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti reiterated the determination of his administration to set up a structured template for migrating the State civil service to the e-governance architecture, creating a new system that functions on a round-the-clock basis and can respond to the realities of the time
According to him, “Our vision is to build a civil service that is efficiency-driven, one that can leverage technological systems and channels to offer seamless support to individuals and organisations across geographical boundaries”.
Governor Otti who expressed delight at the success of the digital training exercise has provided very important insights that will form the building blocks for what comes next, announced that government is looking at extending the training to the over 60, 000 persons working for the State Government in the state.
“We are already looking at what we can do between now and the end of the year in this regard, starting with the Permanent Secretaries and Directors.
“We are mindful of the risks that may arise as we migrate to the digital space, especially data theft and abuses. These challenges have been well considered in advance. May I assure you that adequate care shall be taken to protect confidential government data”, the Governor stated.
While appreciating the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom Government for sponsoring the programme, Governor Otti stressed that Abia state is open, and ready for accelerated development.
In his speech, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Richard Montgomery highlighted the importance of digitizing the civil service, adding that as the world is going digital anyone that is still in analog would be losing in competition.
He commanded Governor Otti ‘s achievements in the last 14 months in office, especially in areas of infrastructure and civil service reforms and assured the readiness of the Commission to collaborate the state in certain areas including technology and education.
In her speech, the Head of Service, Dr. Mrs. Ngozi Queen Obioma thanked Governor Otti for identifying the digital gap in the civil service and decided to close it. She equally thanked the British High Commissioner for the opportunity of accessing free basic digital training for civil servants.
