E-govt: Nigeria @ crossroads, saves billions, risks trust

*TSA saves country over N10trn from leakages

*GIFMIS cuts govt waste by N126b

*IPPIS eliminates 70,000 ghost workers from payroll

*Yet, Nigeria ranks 144th in global digital governance

By Juliet Umeh

In a small community school on the outskirts of Abuja, children still wait as their teacher ticks names off a paper register, a process that swallows nearly half of the lesson time. Yet just a few kilometers away in the city center, federal workers log into a digital payroll system that has already erased more than 70,000 ghost names from government records.

This paradox captures Nigeria’s uneasy journey toward e-government: a system promising efficiency, accountability, and inclusion, but still haunted by mistrust, weak infrastructure, and privacy fears.

According to the National Commissioner and CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, NDPC, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, digitizing government payments in developing countries could yield up to 4.5 percent of GDP annually.

Speaking at the Nigeria e-government summit 2025, organised by DigiServe, Olatunji said: “If people can trust what you do with their data, invariably they are going to trust you with their government.

“That is how we can achieve the e-government of our dream.”

Billions saved, corruption plugged

In his speech, he said: “Nigeria already has success stories. The Treasury Single Account, TSA,  has saved over N10 trillion since inception. The Government Integrated Financial Management System, GIFMIS, cut waste by N126 billion, while the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS, eliminated 70,000 ghost workers who were draining public funds.”

He noted: “During the pandemic, digital identification systems enabled the disbursement of N24 billion in conditional cash transfers, while partnerships with the World Food Programme allowed nearly 200,000 households to receive monthly digital wallets.

“Without e-platforms, much of this would have been lost to middlemen and leakages.

‘These gains align with global findings. A World Bank study shows that digital public services are 74 percent faster than manual processes, cutting service delivery time by up to 40 percent.”

Trust deficit

Despite these wins, Nigerians remain suspicious. Many citizens resist even free registrations.

Olatunji even confirmed: “When the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC,  tried to register small and medium enterprises,SMEs at no cost in 2022, officials were met with hostility.

“They asked, why does the government want to capture us? What will they use our data for?

“Without privacy, we cannot achieve e-government that is efficient. Nigerians must know their data is safe,” Olatunji recounted.

This skepticism is not unfounded. From research, in 2018, India’s Aadhaar system leaked the personal details of 1.1 billion people. The US Office of Personnel Management hack in 2015, exposed the records of 21.5 million workers.

In Africa, a Kaspersky report in 2022 found that one in three organizations suffered cyberattacks, with government institutions being the top target.

As Dr. Olatunji of NDPC insists: “Privacy is the currency of digital governance. When people trust what you do with their data, they will trust their government. Without that, everything else fails.”

Nigeria’s ranking: Opportunity in the gap

The United Nations E-Government Development Index, EGDI, 2022 ranks Nigeria 144th out of 193 countries, with a Human Development Index, HDI, score of just 0.48.

By contrast, Rwanda, through its IremboGov platform, delivers more than 100 public services online and boasts 96 percent 4G LTE coverage according to the government of Rwanda ICT profile, 2022. Estonia, the world’s most advanced digital state, now delivers 99 percent of government services online according to e-Estonia Briefing Centre, 2023.

“Ranking low means we have space to leapfrog, but it requires serious investment in broadband, skills, and trust,” says ICT analyst Jide Ayeni.

The internet divide

Africa’s internet usage remains low. Only 40 percent  of Africans used the internet in 2023, according to the International Telecommunication Union, ITU,  Facts & Figures report, released November 2023. This lags the global average of 67 percent.

Nigeria, despite having over 230 million people according to UN World Population Prospects, July 2024, and the world’s youngest population, struggles with access. Broadband penetration is 48 percent as of 2025 according to the data from the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, compared to 40 percent five years earlier.

A teacher in Abia State recalled: “During COVID, we had online lessons, but our students couldn’t join. No internet, no laptops. Private schools continued; we were left behind.”

Privacy and protection

The Nigeria Data Protection Act, NDPA, 2023 guarantees citizens the right to withdraw consent, correct inaccurate data, be forgotten from databases, and object to automated decisions without human oversight.

Digital rights advocate Funmi Akin told Vanguard: “The law is a step forward, but Nigerians don’t yet feel protected. Until we see agencies fined for breaches, trust will remain low.”

Partnerships, Summits, and Pledges

Stakeholders agree that e-government cannot succeed in isolation. DigiServe Summit 2025 convener, Lanre Ajayi, noted: “Our forums have connected policymakers with industry leaders, highlighting PPP models and cybersecurity as critical for success.”

Echoing this call, Kunle Olorundare, President of the Internet Society, ISOC, Nigeria Chapter, stressed: “The monumental task of building Nigeria’s digital future is a collective responsibility.”

President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, ATCON, Tony Emokpere reinforced the message, saying: “No government can deliver efficient, citizen-centered services in isolation. Collaboration is imperative.”

On the role of local identity, President of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association, NiRA, Adesola Akinsanya, remarked: “Greater adoption of the .ng domain will strengthen Nigeria’s digital identity and trust.”

And underscoring tangible progress, Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, highlighted: “Eleven states have now waived Right-of-Way charges. These reforms are not about statistics; they’re about ensuring a farmer in Ekiti can access weather data or a patient in Sokoto can consult a doctor remotely.”

Risks and silos

Interoperability remains weak. Databases in pensions, health, taxation, and education often exist in silos, duplicating effort and wasting funds. Cybersecurity is another looming threat,  a major breach could cost billions and erode fragile citizen trust.

“If my pension data is wrong, I may never get paid. That’s why accuracy and accountability matter,” said a retired teacher in Ibadan.

Nigeria has already demonstrated what is possible with TSA, GIFMIS, and IPPIS. But without trust, broadband, and privacy protection, progress could stall.

The question remains: will Nigeria build a transparent, secure, inclusive digital system that earns citizen trust, or will e-government become another story of broken promises?

The post E-govt: Nigeria @ crossroads, saves billions, risks trust appeared first on Vanguard News.