ABSTRACT
Information
and Communication Technology (ICT) is a veritable tool to support the
activities of governmental institutions and agencies with the objectives of
delivering effective service and information in a more convenient, citizen
centre way and to curb corrupt practices. The objectives of this study is to
examine the impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on local
government administration in Nigeria with particular reference to some selected
local government areas in Lagos state.
The
study adoptedsurvey design. The study population was the twenty (20) local
governments in Lagos State. Six (6) local government areas were selected using purposive
sampling technique being the first local governments where ICT was introduced Ikeja,
Alimosho, Oshodi-Isolo, Ojo, Amuwo Odofin and Badagry. From the total population
of three thousand two hundred and sixty seven (3,267) staff of Ikeja, Alimosho,
Oshodi-Isolo, Ojo, Amuwo Odofin and Badagry, the sample of 653 respondents (111,113,109,109,
107 and 104 respectively) with 20% of total population. Primary and secondary
data was used. Primary data included: structured and unstructured
questionnaires and interview while secondary data include: published journals,
text books, newspapers, magazines and internet materials.The questionnaire was
self-administered to the staff of local governments and in depth interview was
also conducted in the six local government areas with five (5) principal
officials (Council Manager, Chairman, Secretary, ICT Director and Finance
Director). Simple percentage and Bar Chart method was used to analyzed and
interpret the data while Ch-Square and correlation analysis were used to test
the hypotheses at 0.5 level of significance.
The finding
revealed that Information and Communication Technology (ICT)increases
employee’s performance in the six local government areas (r=0.166, p<0.5).
There is a positive relationship between the use of ICT and transparency and
accountability in the six local government areas. Also, the use of ICT enhance
effective service delivery in the six local governments. (X2 =37.026
> X2t 9.488, df = 0.05)
The study concluded by
recommending among others that there is need to redefine the role of local
governments in the state so as to strengthen its capacity to manage effective
change of complexity. Therefore, the study recommends that there is need to
build managerial capacity in the areas of Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) that will enhance effective service delivery in the Local
government system.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
David
is the biblical man for all seasons, the most complex and many-sided human
character in the bible. He was variously shepherd, fugitive, politician, king,
poet, musician, prophet, warrior and so many attributes. The role in which
David is best known to the Western imagination is that of ‘boy hero and giant
killer’. When he killed Goliath, he became an instant public hero, a civic
liberator providing possible inspiration for fictional heroes, following in
wake from Beowulf to Jack of the beanstalk (1Samuel17: 1-58). This victory by
the boy David can be liken to the introduction of Information Communication Technology
in curbing or minimizing corruption and so many social vices in both private
and public services.
The
current use of the internet, digital connectivity, the explosion and use of
e-commerce and e-business models to enhance efficiency in the private sector is
pressuring the public sector to rethink hierarchical, bureaucratic
organizational models (Ndou, 2004:30-46). Moreover, the increasing expectation
of Nigerians and the pressured effective service delivery of the private sector
are pressing the bureaucracy to be time responsive. As a result, the 21st
century has experienced a shift in the role of government. Unlike before, the
government’s role has been redefined to empower rather than serve the customer,
shift from hierarchy to teamwork and participation, and be mission-oriented and
customer-focused, and to enhance with prevention rather than cure
(Osborne& Gaebler, 1992).
In
the early 1980s, the need to reform the bureaucracy became imperative all
over the globe. Consequently, the governments of developed and developing
countries are faced with the challenge of transformation and the need to
modernize administrative practices and management systems (Tapscott,
1996:60-66). In this regard, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is
seen as a tool to support the work of governmental institutions and agencies
with the objectives of delivering public services and information in a more
convenient, citizen-centric way and to curb corrupt practices. In other words,
Information and Communication can be an effective tool to ensure increased
accessibility, inclusivity and flexibility of government services.
The
Federal Government of Nigeria has recognized the importance of ICT for making
service delivery prompt and effective. It has introduced ICT tools such as
online payment of salaries and wages, accounting package, advertisement of
vacancies and so on in different public offices. As a matter of fact, when the
National Information Technology Policy was approved to guide the ICT project in
Nigeria, this was followed by the enactment of the National Information
Technology Development Agency Act 2007, which provided the legal platform for
the creation of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
Lagos State Government
in an effort to align with the Federal Government NITDA policy, decided to have
strategic partnership between herself and the UK Department for International
Development (DFID) through State Partnership for Accountability, Responsiveness
and Capacity (SPARC) program and related bilateral and multilateral aid which
aims at bringing about reform that will position Lagos State in terms of its
vision of Lagos becoming a mega city with world class ICT infrastructure,
comparable to that of any other mega city in the world. Lagos State Government
recognizes the necessity for competence in ICT. Therefore, in May, 2011 it
Established Public Service Management ICT subgroup to guide the conception,
design and implementation, applicable, development of ICT in the state .The
Lagos State Government ICT Policy according to the state website design assured
that “The
relationships between people, process and technology is effectively managed by
the singular most important document - the Policy which ensures business
process alignment between the different aspects of any organization. An ICT
Policy for Lagos State is therefore the most important outstanding document
that will effectively guide how to manage ICT infrastructure and continuously
align the acquisition and use of ICT resources with the States strategy. The
policy document will define the course or method of action to guide and
determine present and future decisions. If well implemented, the ICT Policy
will ensure the establishment of guidelines and procedures for the acquisition,
deployment, usage, and retirement of Information and Communication Technology
resources in Lagos State government Ministries, Department and Agencies. It
will also ensure the safety and security of Information Communication
Technology resources within the State government from both internal and
external threats” (Lagos ICT, 2011).
It should be noted that this ICT
policy document was produced in collaboration with input from the Public
Service Management ICT subgroup which will help in establishing and strengthening
good governance within the LASG and in turn ensure the provision of a world
class ICT solution benchmarked against International best practices. The policy
document will be undergoing an approval process which is led by strategic
Ministries, Department and Agencies, and when finally approved and put in place
will help to structure, streamline and provide the needed rules and framework
for the Lagos Stage Government. In addition to the ICT policy document, an ICT
Acceptable User policy and Information Security Policy document were also
produced (Lagos ICT, 2011).
The
invaluable role of local government in Lagos State with its mandate to bring
development nearer to the people has become a relevant discourse of our time.
The United Nations (2009) and Nassanga (2006) explore the power of Information
and Communication Technology in achieving this statutory role of local
government. In Nigeria, there are several initiatives geared at accelerating
development via the technological platform. Overcoming the challenges of
transformation of administrative bodies as service deliverers to the citizens
is only possible with proper application of Information and
Communication Technology(ICT) which allows citizens to access various electronic
services. Hence, citizens are able to publicly express their opinion about the
functioning of local government and proper conducting of public affairs, thus
increasing the role of grass roots administration as a service oriented towards
citizens. With these assumed benefits of Information and Communication
Technology policy by LSG as enumerated above, this research work attempts to
carefully examine the impact of ICT in Alimosho, Amuwo-Odofin, Badagry, Ikeja,
Ojo and Oshodi-Isolo local government areas of the state.
It
is imperative at this juncture to note that there is uniformity of function and
responsibility for all the local governments throughout the Nigeria federation
as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The
functions are made up of mandatory for which local governments have full
responsibility, those which they sharing functions with higher levels of
government and those functions that the state or federal government can from
time to time assign to local authority (Constitution, 1999).
In the Fourth Schedule of 1999 Constitutions of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, the functions of local governments are spelt out
to include provision of nursery, primary and adult education, administration of
maternity centres, dispensaries and leprosy clinics and health centres,
lighting and drainage, support for arts and culture, control of pollution,
public housing programmes e.t.c
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The
recent development in information and communication technology provides
opportunities for bridging the gap between the government and the citizens. ICT
provide avenue for effective interaction between the government and citizens at
local levels. It also serves as a tool for eliminating barriers confronting
citizens’ participation in governance at local level.
The
Lagos State government effort in implementing ICT across the entire state
including local government areas should be commended as it is an effort in the
right direction. However, for the projects and processes to be effective and
efficient there is need for appropriate coordination and streamlining. The
significant role information and communication technology is playing now in
Lagos State strategic business decision and the role it will continue to play
in the nearest future cannot be overemphasized. This therefore puts the state
in the position to make concrete and crucial decisions on what the strategic
role ICT centre should be playing in the development of ICT across the state
and the use for effective and efficient service delivery.
The
present state of affairs in the public sector, especially at local government
level appears that the variables responsible for poor performance have not been
dealt with and so the problem still lingers. It is against this background that
the researcher sought to examine to what extent has informationand
communication technology been used to resolve the problems of ineffective
service delivery, low performance and corruption in the local government
administration.
1.3 Objective of the Study
The
general objective of this study is to examine Information Communication Technology
(ICT) and local government administration, in Lagos State between 2007 – 2015
with specific reference to Alimosho, Amuwo-Odofin, Badagry, Ikeja, Ojo and
Oshodi-Isolo. Other specific objectives are to:
1.
examine theuse ofICT in assessment of employees’
performance in the Local Government Areas in Lagos State.
2. determine
the extent to which ICT has improved transparency and accountability in the
assessment on employees’ performance in the sixlocal government areas
3. investigate
the relationship between information and communication technology and effective
service delivery to the citizens in the six local government areas.
4.
analyse the effects of ICT on both the users and
the overhead cost operations of the six Local Governments in Lagos State.
5.
examine the use of ICT vis-Ã -vis bureaucratic
bottlenecks in Local Government administration in Lagos State.
1.4 Research Questions
To
achieve the stated objectives, the following are the research questions
to guide the study.
1.
Is there any significant relationship between
the use of information and communication technology and the assessment of
employees’ performance in the six local government areas?
2.
To what extent has the information and
communication technology improved transparency and accountability in the six
local government areas?
3.
Is there any relationship between information
and communication technology and effective service delivery to the citizens in
the six local government areas?
4.
What are the effects of ICT on both the users
and the overhead cost of Local governments in Lagos State?
5.
What is the relation between the use of ICT and
the issue of bureaucratic bottlenecks in Local Government administration in
Lagos State?
1.5 Hypotheses
The following hypotheses are formulated for
testing:
Hypothesis
One
H0:
There is no significant relationship
between the use of information and communication technology and employees’
performance in the six local government areas.
Hi:
There is significant relationship
between the use of information and communication technology and employees’
performance in the three local government areas.
Hypothesis
Two
H0:
The use of Information and
communication technology in all the six local government areas cannot ensure
transparency and accountability.
Hi:
The use of Information and Communication
Technology in the six local government areas can ensure transparency and
accountability.
Hypothesis
Three
H0:
There is no significant relationship
between information and communication technology and effective service delivery
system in the six local government areas.
Hi:
There is significant relationship
between information and communication technology and effective service delivery
system in the six local government areas.
1.6 Scope of the Study
Assessing
the organizational structure of local government in Nigeria, it is discovered
that local governments are not adequately equipped with modern technological
advancement, thereby creating widening gap between the government and the
governed at the grassroots level.
There
is also a concern with high administrative cost not only in terms of salaries
and allowances but also with regards to multiplicity and duplication of
agencies and departments. There is no link between the high number of staff and
their remunerations with service rendered to the people.
The
study covers information and communication technology on the twenty (20) local
government areas in Lagos State which include Alimosho, Agege, Ajeromi-Ifelodun,
Apapa, Epe, Eti-osa, Ibeju Lekki, Amuwo-Odofin, Badagry, Ikeja, Mushin,
Ifako-Ijaye, Ikorodu, Kosofe, Lagos mainland, Somolu, Surulere, Lagos Island, Ojo
and Oshodi-Isolo while six local government areas were selected for the
adoption of ICT between 2007–2015. The choice of these six local government
areas in Lagos State was based on the strategic mechanism that the state
government put in place to ensure a more coordinated ICT adoption in the local
government. It was observed that the local governments have introduced
automated technologies in their operations which further justify their choice
for this study. Specific focus will be on the application of ICT in the
payment of staff salaries and internally generated revenue.
Nonetheless,
this study reflected on the administration of local governments before 2007 as
a way of providing significant background to the study for the basis of
assessing the effect of ICT introduction from 2007 – 2015.
1.7 Significance of the Study
The
expected benefits of this research to all stakeholders and practitioners in the
public service are significant. The study would offer an in-depth analysis of
what the six local governments stand to benefit, ifan effective information and communication technology policy is
fully implemented in Alimosho, Amuwo-Odofin, Badagry, Ikeja, Ojo and
Oshodi-Isolo local government areas of Lagos State.
The
choice of Lagos State is the fact that she is one of the foremost state in
Nigeria in taking a bold step in aligning with the use of ICT in all its
sectors and even extending it to the third tier of government in the state.
Knowing fully well that an understanding of the effective and responsible use
and management of ICT is vital for managers, as it play a key role in the
efficient operations, effective management, and strategic success of businesses
and other organizations that must operate in a global business environment.
Furthermore,
Lagos State seek to key into the three vital roles ICT perform to include
support an organization’s business operations, managerial decision making, and
strategic advantage and because ICT has become an indispensable ingredient in
several major strategies that business are implementing to meet the challenges
of a rapidly business environment.
Therefore,
the study would contribute to knowledge in terms of provision of relevant
information, in the form of ideas, opinion and views from the field (interviews
of clients) which would assist public services in all the local governments in
the State for effective service delivery, improve performance and ensuring
transparency, reducing corruption, reducing cost and quality of services.
Another significance of the study is to eloquently proffer ways of adopting ICT
in the public service for the growth of the sector. Scholars, upcoming
researchers and students in general stand to benefit from this research as it would
serves an intellectual information depository for research development in the
area of its study. Through this study, they would also know what have already been
done in the study area and the areas that constitute or
calls for further study. Above all, this study would however recommend appropriate measures to be adopted so as to guide against the anti-performance circumstances of the public service as it relates to the application of information and communication technology.
calls for further study. Above all, this study would however recommend appropriate measures to be adopted so as to guide against the anti-performance circumstances of the public service as it relates to the application of information and communication technology.
It
is also hope that it would provoke further research into other local government
areas beyond the scope of this study for better performance of the public
service as its relate to the application of information and communication
technology.
1.8 Operational Definition of Terms
Management: The challenges of
effectively and ethically managing the resources and business strategies
involved in using information technology at the end user, enterprise, and
global levels of a business. It involves the control of human and materials
resources towards achievement of organizational goals and objectives. Getting
things done through others, efficient utilization of resources.
Strategy: As the basic steps or
approaches of management/government towards effecting positive change in the
public service civil in order to reach an objective or set of objectives. In
other words, the methodologies or measures adopted or outlined by the Lagos
state government towards the achievement of employee better performance and
productivity improvement/ enhancement in the local government areas of the
state to achieve its objectives.
E-governance:
E-governance refers to the delivery of goods and service to users through
the internet services such face-book, WhatsApp, blackberry massagers, chat On
etc.
Impact: Direct effect, that is,
effectiveness + efficiency = impact.
Effectiveness: The ability to produce
results needed and intended.
Efficiency: The quality of doing something well with no waste of time and money.
Information and Communication Technology: is the modern handling of information by electronic means which involves storage of processing,access, transportation or transfer and delivery of information.
Efficiency: The quality of doing something well with no waste of time and money.
Information and Communication Technology: is the modern handling of information by electronic means which involves storage of processing,access, transportation or transfer and delivery of information.
Local Government: A defined “body” by
the constitution a legal instrument arranged monitored function according to
oversee the affair of government at the grassroots.
World Wide Web(www): This represents
the symbol of the information and communication society. It is the quick access
to seek information from the government.
Transformation: This is the process
that involves comprehensive institution reform and technological improvement.
National Policy on Tele-communication:It
was set up in 2001 to develop infrastructural base of ICT which was charged
with the responsibility of implementation of ICT policy
1.9 Organization of the Study
The
research study has been organized into five chapters and each chapter is
further divided into various subsections. The first chapter introduces the
study; statement of problem, objective of the study, followed by statement of
research question, research hypotheses, and scope of the study and significance
of the study, the second chapter reviews literature and provides theoretical
framework for the study, the third chapter constitutes research method, where
issues like restatement of the research hypotheses and questions, research
design, population of the study, the sample size and type of sampling method
used is discussed, it’s also examine the method used in data collection,
instrument of data collection and how it is administered, the validity and
reliability of the instrument is also looked into, the analysis of data is
based on the SPSS statistical packaged to reduce errors.
The
chapter four look at the analysis of the data according to the research
question, respondent characteristics and classifications, the analysis of
operational data, analysis of data according to the research hypotheses tested,
the validate and invalidate of the research instrument and discussion of the
findings. Finally, the last chapter summarizes and concludes the whole thesis;
this chapter also will give recommendations and highlights areas for further
studies.
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