Nigeria’s northcentral Benue govt begins paperless administration
Nigeria
Dooyum Naadzenga
In a bold step for the state’s future, the northcentral Benue State Government has propelled itself into the digital age with the official launch of its Paperless Executive Council System.
The visionary move, orchestrated by the Benue Digital Infrastructure Company (BDIC), marks another grand leap towards efficient, transparent, and sustainable governance that resonates far beyond the boundaries of Makurdi.
With a commitment to spearheading technological progress, His Excellency Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, Executive Governor of Benue State, has championed this sweeping transformation.
The shift away from paper-based operations to a streamlined digital framework not only aligns with Nigeria’s Digital Economy Framework and E-Governance Agenda but also reimagines how leaders deliberately steer public policy.
Council members, now equipped with Gen 10 iPads and boundless internet access, are empowered to make pivotal decisions from any location, dissolving the geographical constraints of the past.
Central to this revolution are two homegrown innovations: a secure virtual meeting platform and a robust memorandum management system designed specifically for Benue’s Executive Council. These tools underpin seamless, real-time deliberations and digital archiving, ensuring each memo is created, reviewed, and safeguarded with unmatched efficiency. This digital infrastructure promises to accelerate decision-making, slash costs, and elevate accountability to new heights.
Governor Alia’s drive for innovation extends well beyond this moment, with ongoing efforts to digitize sectors from land administration to educational delivery, ensuring Benue leads as a beacon of digital transformation in Nigeria.
The State’s pioneering stance finds precedent among global trailblazers—Dubai’s paperless initiatives, Estonia’s digital government, and Rwanda’s Irembo platform—all of which have demonstrated profound gains in public service delivery.
The impact for Benue is immediate and far-reaching: public accountability is strengthened through real-time access to memos and approvals, bureaucratic delays are abolished, operational costs are trimmed by eliminating paper, and the ecological footprint is minimized, echoing global sustainability aspirations.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the BDIC, Terwase Gbande says, “this is not merely a technological upgrade but a cultural awakening—heralding a governance model that values agility, efficiency, and environmental stewardship as never before”.
The BDIC’s unwavering commitment, backed by Governor Alia and a receptive Executive Council, ensures this journey has only just begun. “Benue stands as a lodestar for digital governance in Africa, showing that when technology and visionary leadership converge, the possibilities for meaningful change are boundless”, says Gbande.
The state has not just entered a new era; it has ignited a digital dawn for all to follow.
