By Simon Ebegbulem

WHEN, soon after he assumed office as Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole set up the Edo State ICT Directorate, not a few must have queried the need for yet another parastatal, at a time when the clamour for less government is getting louder.

Again, when the first Edo Technology Day held last year, it could not be immediately clear to critics that the fruits of that event would be ripening for consumption in a very short period of time.

Witness: Schoolchildren went away with mouth-watering cash prizes as reward for their inventions, which were largely ICT devices. Thus, the 2nd Edo Technology Day with the theme “Repositioning Edo State Using Technology”, held last Thursday, with secondary schools from the three senatorial districts, students from higher institutions in the state, as well as artisans participating. At hand to see for themselves were dignitaries from far and near, including the international community.

Fashola task polytechnics

Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), who was thrilled with the different cultural exhibitions and talents discovered in some schools, recalled his days as a student of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), and disclosed how street lights, designed and fabricated by Auchi Polytechnic students lit up Benin City then when there were none in some of the major cities in the country.

From left, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State and Mrs Ifueko Omogui-Okauru, Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) at the 2nd Edo Technology Day held in Benin City last Thursday.

Declaring the event open, Governor Fashola who commended his Edo colleague for his commitment in technological development in the state, lamented however that polytechnics which should be the learning base for technologica innovation now compete with universities to award certificates in business administration, accounting and other arts and social science courses.

He said as a student of the University of Benin, he had memories that whereas many parts of Nigeria did not have traffic light, “but there were traffic lights in Benin City.

There was one along Akpakpava and several areas. What is important about them was that they were locally made. They were powered by the bulb in our homes. They were made by students of Auchi Polytechnic. Just imagine what would have happened if we had continued”.

Earlier in her welcome address, the Executive Director of Edo State Information Communication Technology, Mrs Yemi Keri stressed the need to inculcate in our youths the skill of technology, explaining that the state government is aware of the importance of technology, hence the massive investment in the sector, adding that technology has changed over the years from manual to digital.

Mr Dele Akinsade, Microsoft Representative (right) explains a point to Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State and Mrs Yemi Keri during the Governor's tour of exhibition stands at the 2nd Edo technology Day.

‘ICT has made taxation easier’

The occasion became livelier when the chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mrs Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru, an Edo indigene, delivered her key note address on the theme: “Governance in Nigeria: The Technological Challenges”.

She disclosed that tax collection in the country increased from N1.194 trillion in 2004 to N2.839 trillion in 2010 through the application of the Information Communication Technology (ICT), adding that the figure represented an increment of between 337 per cent and 247 per cent in the period under review.

She said that the registered tax payers in Federal Inland Revenue Service Data, had increased to over 700,000 from less than 100,000 which was met on ground in 2004.

Mrs Okauru lamented that the lack of effective Information Communication Technology (ICT) in the country is one of the major problems militating against the economic and political growth of the nation, pointing out that the application of ICT in governance would help minimize leakages and unethical practices.

She asserted that the FIRS had made remarkable achievements through the use of ICT in boosting revenue generation at all levels of government, therefore stressed the need for the leaders to create an enabling environment that will enact specific legal frame work for –e-governance which includes tight security safeguards, “sustain focus on the design development and deployment of e-government applications”.

She also stressed the need for government at all levels to set up adult educational learning centers, “build in ICT skills right from infant age and ensure a holistic and structured approach to implementation”.

She received a rousing ovation from the audience when she hammered on the need for executives to stop killing talents in their offices by providing laptops and other technological equipments for their staff for their daily works. According to her, “laptops are not meant for the rich or the privileged but for those who can make use of them.

You as the chief executive or the boss may be carrying laptop but may not know how to make use of it. When your subordinates does not have laptop and the time you may need them to help you type a letter, you will find out that they don’t know how to make use of it too.

That is because you have not provided them with the equipment to work with. So technology is not a class thing but something that can boost our work and that is why we must encourage people to discover their talents so that we can accelerate our technological growth in this country”.

‘Edo govt now more efficient with ICT’

In his remarks, Governor Oshiomhole who assured that the event will now hold annually, disclosed that the state government is counting its gains in its investment in ICT as it has greatly reduced the incidence of ghost workers and pensioners. He said it has also helped boost the state’s revenue profile.

From left, Inye Kemabonta of (National Information Technology Development Agency)NITDA, Engr Nwaulune Augustine, Deputy Director, Head Spectrum Administration, NCC who represented NCC"s EVC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, and Mr Okoh Aihe, also of NCC at the 2nd Edo Technology Day.

His words:“Part of the problem of governance in Nigeria is the problem of inefficiency. A business that should not take more than an hour takes a couple of days. This can block progress. It leads to loss of revenue. With modern ICT, the culture of looking for files does not arise.

There is information flow and that leads to greater efficiency; there is value for money. That is why on assumption of office, I realized that the kind of changes we want to drive in Edo State would be such that needed to go beyond the way it was done before.

We must take advantage of modern technology to improve on our communication. When I hear governors and employers talking about ghost workers, it is something strange in the 21st century.

How can you count ghosts? Today in Edo State we have made a lot of savings and we shall continue to make savings from our modest investment in ICT”. Oshiomhole spoke further:

“We discovered some forty dead persons who wake up on pay days only for the purpose of collecting pensions and once they have collected, they return to their graves and they were able to do this for quite some time.

But those who wake every 30 days to collect pensions do not like the sight of ICT and once we brought biometrics and insisted on using it to pay pensioners, we did a big damage to them because these men who woke up only on pay days now remain permanently dead.”

He added : “Our Pay as You Earn (PAYE) processes have been fully computerized while the self-assessment hub is next on our automation agenda. As we seek to expand other components of the IGR, the ICT Directorate and other MDAs are deploying other solutions, such as the Edo Geographic Information System (EGIS) and Electronic Payment Systems (e-Pay).

The high point of the event was the presentation of the prizes to winners of the talent hunt competition in held in the state. The first prize went to a student of the Unicent High School, who won the sum of N500,000 for producing an equipment to detect moisture in a warehouse.

The second prize went to ten year-old Urhibo Ogheze Ochuko who won the sum of N350,000, for producing a battery powered motorcycle that does not use fuel. The third prize went to Felix Imafidon who won N200,000.