AZUKA OGUGUA
The website of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) www.icpc.gov.ng has been adjudged the best in a Federal Government scorecard for ranking websites of 220 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Director General of the Bureau for Public Service Reforms , Dr. Dasuki Arabi, who made the public presentation of the 2021/2022 scorecard, stated that “the primary objectives of the scorecard ranking are to strengthen MDAs capacity for transparency, accountability and good governance by providing unrestricted access to public information”.
The BPSR in collaboration with an Inter-Ministerial Task Team (IMTT), whose membership were drawn from key government agencies like Galaxy Backbone, Federal Ministry of Justice, Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), revealed the findings of an exercise, which critically examined the MDAs’ websites in Nigeria.
A jury that comprised of relevant government agencies, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Professional Bodies, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), multinational information technology firms, etc. evaluated the websites based on 14 criteria with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), which include domain string, appearance and aesthetics, content, relevance to MDAs mandate/government policy and structure. Others are responsiveness, security, load time, usability, uptime, architecture, availability, interactivity to accessibility of the websites.
ICPC, ranked first amongst its peers, a big leap from the 2019/2020 report which ranked it 29th amongst 169 MDAs. This reflects the Commission’s commitment to continuous improvement as well as the need for constant positive reinvention and harnessing new media tools in the war against corruption in the country.
The ranking exercise was carried out in line with the principles of the Executive Order 01 on the Ease of Doing Business, Freedom of Information Act ,2011, as well as the Standards and Guidelines for Government websites of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and the data generated from the exercise has contributed largely to Nigeria’s position in the global ranking of countries on E- Government Development Index (EGDI) survey of the United Nations.
In his remarks at the award ceremony, the DG of the BPSR, further stressed that the Scorecard was an imperative peer-review mechanism to prepare MDAs, which were the organs that government delivered the gains of democratic governance, for the challenges and opportunities ahead.
The scorecard ranking report charges MDAs to use their websites to provide safe and secure services, effectively communicate government policies, provide unrestricted access to public information, improve efficiency and ensure the fulfilment of their functions as organs of government service delivery.