Gov Sim Fubara of Rivers State has at last revealed how the magic of moving the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state from about N13Bn maximum to N28Bn plus was done.
The governor told the leadership of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) that came to him as guests at a dinner in Govt House Port Harcourt that it came from the emphasis paid to the application of ICT in the State public service.
He said the Government’s IGR has more than doubled, adding that the entire State Civil Service has already been automated.
There was shock few months ago when the governor revealed that the IGR more than doubled. Many wanted him to reveal the magic. Others felt that the disclosure came in the heat of war between him and his former godfather and in the heat of rumours about secret wars to control the IGR of the state. Now, it has pleased the governor to disclose a bit of the whole story.
The governor emphasized that for the reason of ICT effect on the civil service, every recruitment into the State Civil Service was now being done online, just as other work processes were also going on with the application of technology. He stressed the Government’s efforts to ensure that the State economy was technology-driven.
“Our major interest is to better the State, nothing less and nothing more. To better the State, we have met it in a particular shape, what will people ask us when we leave? Did you leave it the way you met it or did you add value?
“Our work is to add value and I can tell you, we are doing that. You heard what one of the comedians said, we have improved our IGR, we don’t borrow to execute projects. And it is owing to one thing, application of this your technology in the affairs of our State.”
Governor Fubara noted the world’s push for accelerated deployment and application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in virtually all facets of life in the advanced economies, saying that the State was gearing up to tap the potentials in AI to advance development in the Healthcare, Education, Agriculture, and other sectors for the overall benefit of Rivers people.
He charged the NCS to apply AI positively towards improving skills and knowledge of Nigerians for the economic development and advancement of the country rather than facilitating illegitimate ventures that give the country bad name in the comity of nations.
He said: “If we have to stand and believe that we should not be oppressed, we should all stand with something – we should have a means of livelihood. We should have a genuine means of earning clean money. We should also have a standard where what we earn can take care of our problems, which for me, I see as a bottle-neck or the core of all our problems.
“When you earn so much and it cannot solve your problems, it now gives room for people looking for other ways to cut corner, which leads to crime and that has brought us to where we are in our country.
“So, our appeal as a Government is that the best brains that you put together, the inventions that you are making, and the improvement that you want to make, please, let it all be for the betterment of our country. It is our country; we are not going to run away from this country. We must put our hands together to make it what we want. That is the charge to everyone of you”.
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