Embrace ICT for your own good, Edo deputy speaker urges assembly staff

Edo State Deputy Speaker Maria Edekor on Wednesday called on members of the state House of Assembly Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) to upskill their knowledge in Information and communication technology (ICT) to expand their capabilities.

Edekor, whomade the call when members of the association visited her at the assembly complex on Wednesday in Benin, said being ICT compliant would make them more proficient in their duties and improve the quality of government services.

She noted that governor Godwin Obaseki had digitalized the state public andcivil service, adding that the state had moved away from analog to digital economy and e-governance.

Edekor said: “This is the 21st century, and every staff member working in theministry and in the judiciary is ICT-compliant.

“ICT has helpedworkers in the ministry automate government services that previously required bureaucratic hassles.

“I am very saddened to see that the staff working in the Edo State House of Assembly operates an analog system. You have been left behind.

“I have asked my colleagues how an analog system can perform an oversight function over a digital system.

“If you are in Edo State, you will know that your counterparts in the ministry and judiciary have been upskilled and their lives have been transformed.

“I wonder how someone will get to a director here who does not even know how to operate a computer or a laptop.

“If you were to be transferred to the ministry or other agency of government in this state, you cannot fit in because you have been left behind technically,” she said

Edekor further stated that, as a former commissioner in the Ministry of Social Development and Gender Issues, she reformed the ministry by training and retraining all staff in ICT.

She explained that she had worked in different capacities as a lecturer, commissioner, and head of different bodies such as the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), adding that she knew how effective service delivery could be using ICT.

“Many of my staff then that we trained—some of them have gotten jobs with international organizations because of the digital skills they acquired while working in Edo State.

“People are always afraid of change, and the changes are for your own good. Do not be afraid that you might lose your job with the reform that is coming.

“Nobody lost their job in the ministry where the digital reforms started. I am able to function in different capacities because of the experiences I have gathered in ICT over the years.

According to her, the EdoBEST program in the state is a testimony of how digitalized systems can enhance productivity and performance. Edo teachers can comfortably compete with their counterparts anywhere in the world using ICT.

“So be prepared to develop yourselves. If you do not change, you will be left behind. Whether the government buys a laptop for you or not, try and buy one and learn how to use it; it will help you a lot,” she added.

The deputy speaker noted that she would be working with the speaker and other members of the house to design a road map and strategic work plan for the assembly.

“By the special grace of God, I am going to work with you people, and I will begin to advocate seriously for your upskilling by training you to become ICT compliant.

“I want to be remembered for a positive change in people’s lives. I want to see that the human beings that come my way are better than the way I met them.

“I am very happy to have you in my office; my doors are opened for conversations and ideas of how we can do things differently”.

Earlier, the chairman of PASAN, Haruna Farouk, said the staff would appreciate the deputy speaker if all she had said would be carried out to enhance their performance.

Farouk said, “From all you have said, we can see that you have the welfare of staff at heart. We will gladly make ourselves available for the ICT training so that we are not left behind.