…restates commitment to transparency, accountability

By Precious Owolabi, Ado-Ekiti

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, on Wednesday commissioned a Strategic Pillar Monitoring System (SPMS), tagged Ekiti Dashboard, to enhance efficiency by providing seamless and real-time monitoring of government programmes and projects, ensuring value for money.

Speaking while commissioning the dashboard at a brief event held at the Lady Jibowu Hall, Government House in Ado-Ekiti, Governor Oyebanji said the initiative was part of his administration’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and excellence in public service.

Maintaining that the success of any administration depends on its ability to efficiently monitor and evaluate the implementation of projects, the governor explained that the innovative platform would further enable his administration to identify challenges promptly, allocate resources effectively, improve service delivery, and ensure the timely completion of critical projects aligned with his six pillars of development.

He commended the Office of Transformation and Service Delivery (OTSD), led by Dr John Ekundayo, for the innovation in project monitoring and evaluation.

Describing the initiative as a game changer that would further empower citizens to actively participate by providing them with tools to monitor and evaluate performance, the governor said the platform would also help track progress and monitor the execution of projects from inception to completion.

This, he said, is in addition to enhancing transparency by providing citizens access to real-time information on government projects, thereby fostering trust and collaboration between the government and the people.

According to the governor, the initiative would also improve the decision-making process through the use of data-driven insights, as well as promote accountability.

“It gives me great pleasure to be here today to commission into use the Strategic Pillar Monitoring System Dashboard, an ICT infrastructure developed to ensure seamless and real-time monitoring of programmes and projects of government.

“This dashboard is a cutting-edge tool designed to provide real-time information on the status, progress, and impact of all government projects in Ekiti State. I am pleased to inform you that this innovative system is the first of its kind in Nigeria, and it represents our unwavering commitment to transparency, accountability, and excellence in public service,” the governor asserted.

Earlier, in his opening remarks, the Special Adviser, Office of Transformation and Service Delivery (OTSD), Dr John Ekundayo, who expressed his gratitude to the governor for his visionary leadership and commitment to transparency and accountability, said the initiative is to track the progress of projects across the state as encapsulated in the six pillars of the administration.

While explaining that the Ekiti Dashboard represents the commitment of the Biodun Oyebanji administration to transparency, efficiency, and result-driven governance by harnessing the power of data and cutting-edge technology in its approach to project management, Dr Ekundayo charged all stakeholders to utilise the tool to drive positive change and populate the state dashboard by sharing the link.

Also present at the event were the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Habibat Adubiaro; Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Folakemi Olomojobi; Chief of Staff, Mr Niyi Adebayo; members of the state executive council; and heads of MDAs.