I recently read a news report captured in the above heading on your popular online news blog. As a development and governance expert I decided to take a review of the issues raised therein
According to the said news report on paragraph 9 it stated as follows;
as a matter of fact, since the Governor (Senator Okpebholo) assumed office, he is said to have stopped paying these ICT experts who have now been forced to pull out of the service, leading to the collapse of the system.
From this paragraph above, I can reasonably assume that the former Government led by His Excellency, Godwin Obaseki had cleared all the liabilities being owed these so-called ICT experts as at November 12 2024? If that is correct it means since then till this day the 19th of February 2025, Edo state government has accumulated a debt of N3bn, that is on the average of N1bn per month, N30m per day or N1,250,000.00 per hour to maintain these ICT experts managing the GIS system?
Now let’s do the mathematics, how many CofO does Edo-GIS issues per hour to cover the cost of maintaining these ICT experts?
I am aware that before now the cost of a CofO goes for N50,000.00. this means that for us to cover the cost of paying or maintaining the services of these guys we must issue at least a minimum of 25 CofOs per hour or 600 per day or 18,000 CofOs per month including weekends. Is this what is really obtainable?
This is just to cover the cost, not profit or revenue accruing to government net consulting fees?.
I think this news item has raised more fundamental issues around the cost of governance, consultancy, third party involvement in government business, the cost benefit analysis of these assignments to the people of the state. For instance, if assuming that we issue a minimum of 600 CofO per day and we pay everything to the ICT experts, where does government source for money to pay the staff of the GIS office? The financial and economic model of this sort of engagement is not adding up for me.
How does government maintain the building, machineries, the geospatial equipment, training and capacity building etc. Does the Edo-GIS exist just to maintain and retain the services of ICT experts? Where does knowledge transfer comes in? Is this consultancy service sustainable from a purely business context? What is the best practice (peer to peer with other states in Nigeria and the region) Is this the best rate we can negotiate as a state?
For me, there is need for additional investigative journalism beyond these news flash that does no one any good especially the previous administration led by His Excellency Mr Godwin Obaseki. What is the net cost to the state to maintain these ICT experts in the last few years? What is the profit made by the Edo – GIS after paying them?
Conclusion
My advise is that the entire arrangement should be subjected to scrutiny, investigation, unbundling, re-negotiation and break down of cost, a total review of the Scope Of Work (SCOW), peer to peer review with other states. If the incumbent consultants offer the best in the interest and benefit of the state, then we can reconsider them.
Best regards
Akerele, Executive Director, Policy House Int’l was Chief of Staff to the Governor of Edo state.