An assessment of the adoption of electronic governance in the Nigerian civil service of Edo State

Abstract

The Edo State government adopted e-governance to enjoy the benefit of efficiency, accountability, and faster and more transparent delivery of public services among others. However, this study became important to find out the extent to which all these have been achieved seamlessly or with challenges. Edo State is currently the only state in Nigeria that has completely shifted from analogue to digital technology with over 20 million files imputed into the e-governance structure and the only state in Nigeria operating 100 per cent e-governance. This paper looked at Electronic Governance adoption in the Edo State civil service. Five research objectives were raised to guide the study. The population of the study comprises Edo State civil servants working in the eighteen ministries. The study utilized the mixed method of data collection and adopted a novel theory of public management serving as the analytical framework. The research outcomes showed that the Edo State government has recently made significant investments in e-governance by, among other things, creating the superstructure necessary for e-governance to flourish in the State. Additionally, the use of ICTs and other electronic devices runs through every aspect of the Edo State. The study concluded that the utilization of ICTs and other electronic devices has brought about efficiency, effectiveness, flexibility, innovation, and creativity in providing government services to all its stakeholders in the Edo State Civil Service. Thus, the paper recommended among others the urgent need for the Edo State Government to speed up actions to bridge the digital gap that exists among its workforce.