Akwa Ibom State and Oyo State were Thursday night, honoured and celebrated as the most digitally compliant states in Nigeria.
The recognition was part of activities to mark the end of the Digital Nigeria Conference 2023, hosted by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), at the International Conference Center in Abuja.
“We are delighted to inform the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State of his nomination for the “Most Digitally Compliant State Award” at the Digital Nigeria Conference 2023 Dinner. Your Excellency may be pleased to know that the nomination for the award is due to your excellent strides in the IT industry”, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said of the State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno.
The event was graced by luminaries from the tech industry, including the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, the Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and Chairman, Senate Committee on Communication, Senator Aliyu Bilbis.
Representing the Akwa Ibom State Government were key figures media and information technology deptartments, including the SSA on Research on Documentation, Dr. Essien Ndueso, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Website and Multimedia, Engr Solomon Eyo, and the Personal Assistant on Artificial Intelligence, Mrs. Lucy Ekong.
Commenting on the award, Engr Solomon Eyo, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Website and Multimedia, expressed gratitude and dedicated the award to the state’s leader, His Excellency Pastor Umo Eno.
He highlighted the Governor’s vision for the state, emphasizing the creation of the ICT Directorate under Dr. Frank Ekpenyong.
“This initiative resulted in significant improvements, such as enhanced internet connectivity, the full automation of civil services, a modern state website for citizen engagement, and the use of official government emails.
“These digital advancements allow the governor to sign memos from anywhere, snowballing into the remarkable progress achieved within his first 60 days in office.”
Dr. Kashifu Inuwa, the Director General of NITDA, in his welcome address, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to implementing the National Digital Economy Policy for Digital Nigeria.
He emphasized NITDA’s pivotal role in planning, research, development, standardization, application, coordination, monitoring, evaluation, and regulation of Information Technology practices in Nigeria.
“The 2023 awards highlighted not only Akwa Ibom’s achievement but also the nation’s dedication to a digitally transformed future”,he said.
