Neglect of the digital transformation introduced by the immediate past governor of Edo State, His Excellency, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, by Senator Monday Okpebholo has resulted in the collapse of the state government’s official website.
A recent report by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), revealed that the website has now been compromised and is displaying content from Casibom, a Turkish digital betting platform.
The investigative journalism organization said the breach was first noticed on Monday while it was tracking reports and implementation details of the state’s SABER projects, noting that attempts to access other pages return error messages, suggesting a complete takeover of the state government’s website.
The breach is said to have exposed significant flaws in the current administration’s handling of the state’s digital infrastructure, with many lambasting Okpebholo for the neglect of the digital transformation programmes and assets put in place by Governor Obaseki.
Okpebholo is said to have shut down the Edo e-governance platform and other digital assets introduced by the Obaseki government, reverting the state’s civil service operations back to paper files to run the government.
The governor was alleged to have sacked most of the senior civil servants who were employed in the Edo ICT Agency, a parastatal under the Edo State Ministry of Digital Economy, who, with the support of expert consultants, operated the e-gov platform, ensuring a digital and efficient system for government processes and operations.
Okpebholo was also accused of scrapping the Edo State Ministry of Digital Economy, Science and Technology, which was responsible for managing and driving the State’s digital assets and transformation, thereby leaving the government hamstrung.
This apparent neglect, mismanagement and disinterest in sustaining these digital advancements is what is responsible for the collapse of the State’s official website.
According Publicity Secretary of the Edo Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caretaker Committee, Chris Osa Nehikhare, the website collapse is a result of the clear neglect of the very robust digital assets handed over to Okpebholo by His Excellency, Mr. Godwin Obaseki.
He noted, “The news of the collapse of the official state government’s website is quite disappointing and embarrassing. It is as a result of the clear neglect of the robust digital assets handed over to Okpebholo by the immediate past administration of His Excellency, Mr. Godwin Obaseki.
“It is a glaring testament to the larger pattern of failure that has characterized the Okpebholo administration in these past few months at the Dennis Osadebey Avenue. Just as the website has suffered its own complete breakdown, every sector in the state, from security, economy, revenue generation, education, and healthcare, among others, are experiencing a similar collapse due to the government’s neglect and incompetence.”
He added, “This is yet another proof that Okpebholo is unprepared to govern and lacks the competence to sustain the progress made under the previous government. We can only but await the judiciary to return the mandate to Asue Ighodalo and the PDP whom the people of Edo State overwhelmingly voted for in the last governorship election, so that the State and its people can continue on the path of progress and prosperity.”
