IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

THE Federal Government plans to commence e-government in 2008, the Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has revealed. Speaking at the launch of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) website in Abuja, yesterday, he said that the Federal Government recognised the role of Information Technology (IT) in modern business and public administration and was therefore prepared to squarely face the challenges. "Government will continue to support the introduction of on-line system to all government services and we are determined that, by 2008, most government services would be accessible on-line," he said. The e-government project of the Federal Government being anchored by the Federal Office of Statistics (FOS) suffered a major setback, last year, when the staff of NICON Insurance resisted a presidency directive, asking the National Planning Commission to take over the NICON Plaza, located in the Central Business District, of Abuja.

The National Planning, then under Dr. Magnus Kpakol, the Chief Economic Adviser to the President, insisted on the property as a suitable edifice was made a pre-condition for the release of a grant provided by the European Union for e-government in Nigeria. The row between the two organizations led to the suspension of the NICON Managing Director, Ms. Pricilla Saores who has since been recalled. Vice President Abubakar said yesterday, the present administration would identify some key areas that needed to be changed for the realization of the on-line project. "We would therefore concentrate on putting in place new incentives, levers and institutional structures to make sure this transformation includes new funding and sharpened financial incentives to promote electronic service delivery, and the creation of a government incubator to develop new service ideas", he said.

Earlier, the Direct-General (D-G) of the BPE, Dr. Julius Bala, said that the organization operates in "a highly networked IT-environment that is primed to provide the International Best Practice that is required to meet the challenges of the new technology". He disclosed that the BPE web was re-designed to meet international investors community standards with which they are familiar and comfortable. "It has been designed to be a credible, trusted and helpful source of information, not just on the privatization programme, but also on other issues on Nigeria", the D-G explained.

He added that the web team that designed it focused on the definition of web content, graphics, interfaces and features around the site's target audience which are the staff, Nigerian citizens, civil servants, potential investors, government agencies, Nigerians in diaspora, donor agencies, international community, researchers and students. Dr. Bala who promised to set the pace in the public sector on-line programme said that BPE would become a paperless office by 2007.

BPE"s immediate task he said remained the unbundling of NEPA, the sale of majority shares in the refineries, and the Initial Public Offer of NITEL.

Quelle: AllAfrica.com