By Ijeoma Olorunfemi
Jigawa, Adamawa and Plateau governors have received the Digital Governors of the Year award for North East, North West and North Central.
They were rewarded at the Nigeria GovTech Gala and Awards 2025 organised by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) in Abuja.
The award was to recognise public and private sectors as well as individuals who digitally integrated their services and contributing to the development of the national digital ecosystem.
Gov. Umar Namadi of Jigawa said that their efforts towards integrating e-governance and transforming the public service, deploying technology for job creation and promoting digital economy were yielding significant results.
“Promoting ICT is the topmost of our priority; we are committed to restoring the glory of Jigawa State as the pacesetter state in e-governance and the deployment of ICT in achieving socio-economic development,” he said.
He added that the state inaugurated Jigawa State ICT Development Agency, revived moribund facilities in the state and increased ICT investments to ensure digitisation of its processes for better service delivery.
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, won the best Federal Health Institution in Innovation and Use of Technology.
The Chief Medical Director, Prof. Yusuf Jibrin, who also won a trailblazer award, said it was gladdening that the innovation and technology being deployed in the hospital were being recognised.
Some of the initiatives, he said, were the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) Integration with e-CMDS Platform and innovative use of technology and the establishment of e-class for teaching and collaborative research in the hospital.
Iris Smart Technologies’ won the Digital Governance Company of the Year award.
Its Executive Director, Operations, Ms Mina Lawson, said the firm would continue to promote ICT.
The company is credited with contributing to inauguration of the first digital passport scheme, among other breakthroughs.
She said that the digital governance was driving the country towards a one ID system.
Dr Dasuki Arabi, Director-General of BPSR, said COVID-19 taught the world how to fast track the adoption of technology as well as other emerging technologies.
“It is my hope for Nigerian public service, in terms of digitalisation and quality of public service delivery, that we should be among the first 20 countries in the world in the next one or two years,” he said.
He further said that 99 per cent of Nigerians outside the FCT needed to feel the impact of digitised governance around public services, hence the need for citizens to propagate the message of digital governance.
Arabi said hat the early years of Nigeria GovTech began with six states but had grown into 27 states.
Other awards included best federal MDA in Open Data Excellence won by Nigeria Meteorological Agency.
Edited by Uche Anunne
