NITDA Pushes Digital Overhaul of Civil Service at Cross River CIVTECH Launch
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has called for a bold transition of Nigeria’s public service from traditional bureaucracy to digital excellence.
Inuwa made the call on Wednesday at the flag-off of the Civil Service Technology Empowerment for Capacity and High Performance programme in Cross River State.
The programme, hosted by the Cross River State Government and organised by the Cross River State Microfinance and Enterprise Development Agency, is expected to equip 2,000 civil servants with digital skills to enhance efficient and technology-driven service delivery.
Represented by the Director of Stakeholders Management and Partnerships at NITDA, Dr Aristotle Onumo, the DG delivered a keynote address titled, ‘From Bureaucracy to Digital Excellence: Leveraging Technology for a High-Performing Public Service.’
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He said the future of governance would depend largely on the ability of public institutions to embrace digital transformation.
“For decades, the public service has been the engine room of national development, but in an era defined by speed, data and innovation, traditional bureaucratic processes are no longer sufficient to meet the expectations of citizens and businesses,” he said.
According to him, citizens now expect government services to reflect the efficiency and convenience obtainable in digital banking, e-commerce and other mobile platforms.
Inuwa disclosed that Nigeria’s Information and Communications Technology sector contributed nearly 20 per cent to the country’s real Gross Domestic Product in 2024, underscoring technology’s growing role in economic growth and competitiveness.
“Digital transformation is no longer just a technology agenda. It is an economic agenda, a governance agenda and a national competitiveness agenda,” he added.
He warned that outdated bureaucratic systems result in delayed decision-making, inefficiencies, limited transparency and declining public trust, noting that digital excellence offers faster service delivery, improved accountability, higher productivity and better citizen satisfaction.
“This is the shift from paperwork to performance, from process-driven governance to outcome-driven governance,” he said.
The NITDA boss stressed that while infrastructure and digital systems are important, human capacity remains central to reform.
“Technology alone does not transform institutions. People do. Digital excellence requires public servants who are digitally skilled, innovation-driven, solution-oriented, performance-focused and citizen-centric,” he stated.
He assured civil servants that technology was not designed to replace them but to enhance their productivity.
“Technology frees you from repetitive administrative tasks so you can focus on strategic thinking, policy innovation and national development,” he said.
Inuwa also outlined NITDA’s priorities, including promoting digital literacy and skills development, strengthening digital public infrastructure, automating government processes, enhancing cybersecurity and data protection, and driving the adoption of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence across public institutions.
He commended Cross River State for embracing reform, saying initiatives like CIVTECH align with the Federal Government’s vision of building an efficient, transparent and citizen-centric public service.
Declaring the programme open, the state Head of Service, Orok Okon, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening workforce capacity.
He said public institutions must equip their personnel with the skills required to deliver efficient and technology-enabled services in a rapidly evolving digital era.
Earlier, the Director-General of the Cross River State Microfinance and Enterprise Development Agency, Great Ogban, thanked the governor and the Head of Service for their support, urging the trainees to demonstrate commitment to the programme.
He expressed optimism that the partnership between the state government and NITDA would accelerate the transition to a more efficient and paperless civil service in Cross River State.
