Digitisation - News Agency Of Nigeria

Philip Daniel Yatai
May, Tue, 2025

Stakeholders urge digitisation of justice system

By Jacinta Nwachukwu

Some stakeholders in Nigeria’s judiciary have emphasised the urgent need to digitise the legal and judicial sector to address long-standing inefficiencies hampering effective justice delivery.

Speaking at the 2025 Justice Innovation and Technology (JIT) Summit on Tuesday in Abuja, Mrs Lucy Abagi, CEO of the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), highlighted the persistent reliance on manual court processes.

She noted that the summit aimed to promote automation for timely and efficient justice.

Abagi said PPDC, with international backing, piloted the Justice Initiative in Nasarawa, Kaduna, and Plateau states, using speech-to-text devices to enhance case management.

She added that more than 80 per cent of Nigerian courts still operated manually, and the initiative was designed to eliminate this.

“The Judic AI software, developed by young Nigerian tech graduates, has already been deployed in 16 courtrooms.

“Judges no longer need to write long-hand; instead, they get instant transcriptions, which also lightens the administrative burden,” she said.

She added that the technology could help reduce Nigeria’s backlog of awaiting trial inmates, currently estimated at around 80,000.

Bemshima Peter, CEO of Devon Technologies Ltd., also spoke at the summit, stressing the need for technological adoption in a sector that had trailed behind others.

He described Judic AI as a smart transcription and case management solution, already operational in 16 courts.

In spite of challenges like diverse accents and dialects affecting speech recognition, Peter said the company was working on multilingual capabilities for seamless communication.

National President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Afam Osigwe, urged judges to become computer literate and advocated for the integration of virtual hearings to reduce delays and unnecessary physical appearances in court.

“Courts should offer virtual hearing facilities to all parties, not just expect litigants to make personal arrangements,” Osigwe said, calling the refusal of some courts to adopt such systems “unacceptable.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Devon Technologies, a legal tech firm, is working to reshape Africa’s justice systems through digital transformation and accessibility. (NAN)

Edited by Abiemwense Moru

PPDC canvasses digital procurement processes, unveils strategic framework

Philip Daniel Yatai
Apr, Wed, 2025

General News

PPDC canvasses digital procurement processes, unveils strategic framework

By Jacinta Nwachukwu

An NGO, Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), has called for digitalisation of procurement processes to enhance accountability and transparency in procurement governance.

The PPDC Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Lucy Abagi, made the call on Wednesday in Abuja, at the presentation of the PPDC 2024-2028 Strategy Document, titled: `Leveraging Citizen Power for Sustainable Future’.

Abagi said that civil society organisations (CSOs) should not be the primary drivers of procurement processes, saying that government ownership was crucial.

She said that the government should provide regular updates on the use of taxpayers’ money and procurement processes.

According to her, the PPDC has been supporting government’s transparency for the past 22 years.

Abagi said that the NGO’s project, Transparency for Citizen Engagement, was aimed at leveraging citizens’ power for a sustainable future.

She further stated that the project was being implemented in three states: Kaduna, Ekiti and Adamawa to enhance accountability and transparency in the states’ procurement processes.

The chief executive officer said for more transparency in governance, there was the need for state procurement audits, contracting processes and annual reporting on government policies and practices.

“Procurement portals have been developed for the three states, with Kaduna and Ekiti using them efficiently.

“The portals provide detailed information on contractors, contract awards, jurisdictions and timelines.

“The portals also allow citizens to track contractor selection criteria and project monitoring criteria,’’ she said.

Abagi, however, said that observations showed gaps in procurement processes in spite of some progress, with abandoned and poorly executed projects.

She, therefore, called for transparency and accountability in government procurement to prevent project duplication and ensure contractor accountability.

The chief executive officer also urged the government to lead in procurement processes, open government partnerships and open contracting and funding to build capacity for managing procurement portals.

Also speaking, the Advocacy Officer, West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network, Mr Austin Aigbe, said that corruption was the greatest challenge to the Nigerian state, with procurement being a significant loophole.

Aigbe underscored the importance of citizens’ participation in holding the government accountable for procurement fraud.

He said that eradicating procurement fraud would result in significant savings for the country.

The advocacy officer particularly cited the example of vehicle procurement where funds were repeatedly allocated but not used, leading to repeated expenditures.

According to him, procurement fraud ultimately leads to suffering by members of the public, as funds intended for public projects are diverted.

Aigbe, therefore, called on Nigerians to actively follow the procurement process and hold the government accountable through the PPDC strategy and online portals. (NAN)

Edited by ‘Wale Sadeeq

Trade, investment ministry to go fully digital by December – Oduwole

Philip Daniel Yatai
Feb, Tue, 2025

Economy/Business

Trade, investment ministry to go fully digital by December – Oduwole

By Lucy Ogalue

The Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, says the ministry will fully digitise its operations by the end of 2025 to enhance efficiency.

Oduwole said this at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the ministry and the AIG Imoukhuede Foundation on Tuesday in Abuja.

The ceremony took place on the sideline of the Top Management Retreat of the ministry and its agencies.

The minister emphasised the urgency for the digital transition.

According to her, the ministry is just about to start that journey, and the deadline is the end 2025.

“I believe that this ministry is poised to serve Nigeria in a very special way.

“This effort underscores the government’s commitment to enhancing efficiency and streamlining operations within the ministry.”

The minister commended all heads of agencies and parastatals under the ministry for their contributions towards driving and ensuring a digitised and effective ministry.

The Co-Founder, AIG Imoukhuede Foundation, Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede, expressed the commitment of the foundation to ensure the success of the initiative.

“We firmly believe that the future of Nigeria’s socio-economic development depends strongly on you, the public sector. You are the engine room of growth and development,” she said.

According to her, the foundation has previously played a pivotal role in digitalising the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, turning it into a fully automated institution.

Aig-Imoukhuede said that the partnership would focus on three key pillars: digitalisation, capacity building and performance management.

“The first pillar will move the ministry from manual to automated processes, bringing it in line with 21st-century standards.

“We picked your ministry, because we firmly believe in the work that you are doing.

“Our support will ensure that key trade and industrial policies are executed with greater efficiency,” she said.

She said that capacity building remained a crucial component of the initiative, with efforts geared toward equipping civil servants with the necessary skills to leverage emerging technologies.

“Additionally, performance management systems will be developed to track progress and ensure that the reform efforts yield tangible results.

“We want to help to develop a robust performance management system because that will help to drive the reform efforts,” she said.

Highlight of the event was the signing of a performance bond between the ministry, heads of agencies under its supervision and AIG Imoukhuede foundation.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was part of activities to mark Oduwole’s 100 days in office.(NAN)

Edited by Francis Onyeukwu/Kadiri Abdulrahman

Philip Daniel Yatai
Dec, Thu, 2024

Aviation

FG promises advanced digitisation to enhance aviation safety

By Gabriel Agbeja

Mr Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development says the Federal Government will advance digitalisation in the aviation sector to enhance safety and security.

Keyamo made this declaration at the inauguration of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Flight Data Centre (FDC) on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to him, the administration of President Bola Tinubu is committed to modernising various sectors, moving from analog to more digital and efficient systems.

Keyamo explained that the FDC would help NCAA to regulate more effectively by improving efficiency, saving costs, and enhancing the customer experience within the aviation sector.

“One of our five-point agenda is to improve safety within the sector. This initiative directly contributes to that goal,” Keyamo said.

He emphasised the importance of the FDC in enhancing safety, noting, “This system is not just for handling incidents or serious events; it can be used routinely to track flight patterns, human errors, and mechanical issues during flights.”

Capt. Chris Najomo, the Acting Director-General of NCAA, added that the FDC was a vital part of modern aviation, responsible for collecting, processing, and analysing vast amounts of flight data.

He outlined the key components of the FDC, which include data acquisition, data processing, event detection, and a feedback loop.

Najomo stated that the FDC would help enhance Nigeria’s global credibility by aligning NCAA with international best practices and boosting global confidence in Nigeria’s aviation safety standards.

“As an ICAO Contracting State, Nigeria is obligated to ensure the highest safety standards, and the NCAA’s collaboration with APS Aerospace Corporation supports this effort,” he said.

He further explained that APS Aerospace, with over 100 years of combined experience in Flight Data and Cockpit/ATC Audio Analysis, worked with the NCAA to train selected staff in Flight Data Analysis (FDA) and Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) systems.

“These systems systematically collect, process, and evaluate flight data to identify trends, anomalies, or safety issues, which are crucial for modern aviation safety management systems (SMS)’’.(NAN)

Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo and Abiemwense Moru

CJ launches digitisation of court proceedings in Taraba

Philip Daniel Yatai
Nov, Wed, 2024

Judiciary

CJ launches digitisation of court proceedings in Taraba

By Martins Abochol

Justice Joel Agya, Chief Judge of Taraba on Wednesday commenced the digitisation of court proceedings.

Agya, during a court sitting at the Court One, state High Court Jalingo, said that all courts would eventually be digitised after the pilot programme.

He expressed satisfaction with the application of the new technology, confirming that it had fasttracted court proceedings.

Mr Abdullahi Ibrahim, Chief Executive Officer, Comprehensive Software Solutions Nigeria Ltd, the firm handling the installation of the e-court, said that the digitisation was in line with the global best practices.

Ibrahim said that the process has limited challenges as it fasttracted speedy dispensation of sound judgments.

He added that the firm was training staff of the court on technical processes in handling the technology.

” You can see by yourself how fast e-court can enable judges in speedy handling of cases.

“Court proceedings that can take up to six hours today took one and half hours,” Ibrahim said.

Mr Micheal Angwe, one of the counsels in the court congratulated the CJ on the installation of the e-court.

Angwe said that the electronic proceedings would go a long way in the enthronement of speedy dispensation of justice.

NAN reports that the court, which commenced it sitting at 9 am closed at 11 am after hearing eight cases. (NAN)

Edited by Gabriel Yough