The immediate past governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki has taken a swipe at his successor, Senator Monday Okpebholo for ordering an urgent review of the state’s E-gov platform.
Obaseki stated that Okpebholo’s excuses for shutting down the platform is shameless and, a telltale sign of a clueless government.
Recall that Okpebholo had said that the entire governance structure of the state is at the mercy of non-state actors, which is considered a severe security threat.
The Governor, in a statement through the Secretary to the State Government, Umar Musa Ikhilor, ordered an immediate review of the State’s electronic governance platform.
According to the statement, no one within the entire Public Service of Edo State has administrative control of the platform.
The statement also disclosed that while the review is ongoing, all officials and staff of Ministries, Departments and Agencies are to continue to work on the e-governance platform pending the outcome of ongoing review.
But in a swift response, Obaseki’s Media Adviser, Crusoe Osagie said Okpebholo’s decision is not only shameful and regressive, but also an insult to the sensibilities of Edo workers and the people of the state.
According to him, the E-gov platform is operated by the Edo ICT Agency, a parastatal under the Edo State Ministry of Digital Economy, with the support of expert consultants.
He pointed out that had the present government not embarked on the ongoing indiscriminate sack of civil and public servants in the state, the officials and workers responsible for this system would have been available to explain and train them on the process and functionality of the digital system.
The statement read: “We read with surprise and deep disappointment the utterly ridiculous statement by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Umar Musa Ikhilor, where he laboriously attempted to justify the illogical shutdown of the Edo e-governance platform and the decision to revert the state’s civil service operations back to paper files to run the government.
“This irrational decision is not only shameful and regressive, but also an insult to the sensibilities of Edo workers and the people of the state. It further exposes the government’s cluelessness and lack of the depth and knowledge required for effective governance and administration in the 21st century.
“To be clear, the platform is operated by the Edo ICT Agency, a parastatal under the Edo State Ministry of Digital Economy, with the support of expert consultants, ensuring a digital and efficient system for government processes and operations.
“However, the unprepared and clueless government of Senator Monday Okpebholo, having come into power through one of the most flawed electoral processes in the country, has since sacked most of the senior civil servants in the agency. As a result, the government is now hamstrung and unable to effectively run the e-gov system.
“Had the government not embarked on the ongoing indiscriminate sack of civil and public servants in the state, the officials and workers responsible for this system would have been available to explain and train them on the process and functionality of the digital system. But what else can we expect from a governor who came to power through the backdoor? He is unprepared for office, in short supply of ideas, and lacks a clear vision to drive the development and progress of the state.
“We also want to clarify that the allegations by the government that there is no institutional memory are completely false. All government memory and data are stored in the state-owned Data Centre, which was built and commissioned by the immediate past administration of His Excellency, Mr. Godwin Obaseki. The Data Centre is situated within the Government House compound, from where the Secretary to the State Government is dishing out his jaundiced statements, filled with lies and half-truths.
“For eight years, the immediate past governor, HE Godwin Obaseki focused on nuanced policies and programmes to lay a solid foundation for the State, placing it on the path of progress and prosperity. We advise Okpebholo to follow this path if he doesn’t have a vision or plan for the state, rather than erode the progress that has been made over these past few years with his illogical and poorly thought-out decisions and policies.”
