Page 1 of 11
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 05
May 2019
Available online:https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 1117
Harnessing E–Governance For Quality Public Service
Delivery In Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria: Benefits And
Challenges
David Aniefiok Titus (PhD)
Abasiama Godwin Akpan
Department of Political Science, Department of Computer Science,
Evangel University, Akaeze - Nigeria Evangel University, Akaeze - Nigeria
davtitus4@gmail.com gakpan76@gmail.com
Abstract
This study unraveled the Public Service quality for e – Governance Implementation delivery
in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. In this way, the exploitation of Information and
Communication Technologies (ICTs) in applications in Public administration has it enhanced
the delivery of public services to citizens and clients not; only by improving the process and
management of government, but also by redefining the traditional concepts of citizenship are
discussed. The study found that there are certain challenges that hinder the adoption and
effective implementation of e - governance in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. We collected data
from both primary and secondary sources, to elicit information from stakeholders in the
research area. The study revealed that the challenges facing the deployment of e-governance
in Akwa Ibom State were incessant power failure, communication infrastructure deficit and
low IT professional manpower. The survey also revealed that the use of e-governance would
bring improved efficiency in government operations without necessarily increasing the cost
of state governance. It would strengthen democratic principles and ideologies which in turn
brings good governance to the people.
Keywords: E-governance, Digital Divide, Quality Service, Service Delivery, Public Sector
INTRODUCTION
There is no gainsaying that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is of great
importance for overall human development. The relevance of ICT in the political, socio- economic and technological advancement of any nation cannot be over-emphasized. The
benefits that accrue as a result of ICT influence nations to invest in it. The intensity of
progression of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Nigeria has reached an
upsurge. This is because the usage of technology has permeated almost all endeavours of life,
by providing ways of ensuring efficient, easy processing and delivery of services. This makes
the application of technology to service delivery imperative. E-governance is no doubt a tool
Page 2 of 11
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 05
May 2019
Available online:https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 1118
for managing the activities of the public service at the international, national and state levels.
Its application has aided the swift delivery of services in nations of the world. In most
countries of the world, revitalizing the public service so as to make it effective, efficient and
people-centred through the adoption of new and emerging technologies for speedy delivery of
services to the populace has become quite imperative. In this context, information and
communication technology (ICT) have been recognized as an effective tool that could assist
government reinvent itself faster, run cheaply, better and produce newer outcomes.
Since the emergence of civil democracy in 1999, the states in Nigeria had better autonomy
because the state governors were elected by the people as against the usual appointment by
the military. This brought into the scene a set of politicians with a strong private sector
background, who were determined to make their marks by results rather than patronage [1]. If
this pursuit will succeed, there must be a platform to enable the citizenry to participate in
governmental decision making process; a platform where every citizen will be given equal
opportunities to express their views about government policies and programmes without the
fear of being victimized.
E-governance in its simple term refers to the application of ICT to improve the delivery of
services in the public service to attain transparency, accountability, timeliness, and efficiency
[2]. The implementation of e-governance cannot become a reality without the adoption of
modern day technologies [Institutional, 2006]. Although from the traditional practice of
administration, ICT have been in use in businesses and other fields, governments across the
world are beginning to embrace and deploy information and communication technology to
the public service due to the fact that they have realized that the application of ICT is a useful
tool that can leverage public sector organisations to change from their routine command and
control organisations that are inwardly focused on administration to knowledge-based,
networked, learning organisations that are externally focused on service delivery [3].
In the words of Bachkus [4], a situation in which all interaction with the government can be
done through one counter 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without waiting in lines at
government offices is possible even now if governments are willing to decentralize
responsibilities and processes through the use of electronic means such as the Internet.
The Concept of Public Service Quality
In this context, we envisage public service in terms of efficiency, performance and service
quality. Thus customer – oriented service mindset was the top task of public sector. The term
quality is perceived differently by various stakeholders. Hence, the definition of quality often
varies. In most cases however it is considered against a preset standard or benchmark. The
British Standard Institution (BSI) defines quality as “the totality of features and
characteristics of a product of service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied
needs” [3]. The definition of quality in public service is often complex because of the
difficulty in agreement among the various stakeholders of what constitutes quality in public
service delivery. The refined version of the popularly cited Harvey and Stensaker [5] by
Standa [6] as cited by Gronroos [7] presents five different ways of defining quality thus:
Quality as exceptional. Here quality is linked to excellence and usually
operationalized as exceptionally high standards of public service achievement.
Quality is attained if the required standards are met or exceeded.
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European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 05
May 2019
Available online:https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 1119
Quality as perfection or consistency. In this definition, quality implies zero defects
and getting things right the first time. Quality in this sense is assumed not to apply to
a learning situation except in the areas of consistency of academic judgment and
reliability of management information.
Quality as fitness for purpose. Here quality is judged by the extent to which it meets
the specified purpose. It relates to customer requirements and satisfaction.
Quality as value for money. Quality is accessed via returns on investment. The notion
of accountability in education is brought into focus in this definition.
Quality as transformation. Quality is viewed as a process of change. Public service
delivery is conceived here as a transformation process which leads to qualitative
change in the participants leading to their enhancement and empowerment.
Gronroos [7] classified service quality as:
Technical Quality: referring to delivery service quality level.
Functional Quality: referring to service delivery means.
He reaffirmed that a good service quality was consistency of customer quality experience
with expected quality experience. Quality assurance in public service is geared towards
attainment of public service delivery targets and improvement in the process of public
delivery. To Standa [6], Quality assurance is a continuous process by which an institution can
guarantee that standards and quality of its educational provisions are being maintained or
enhanced.
Concept of Governance and e - Governance
The term governance is referred to as the use of economic, political and administrative power
when managing a nation’s affair, which includes citizen’s interest articulation and the
exercise of legal rights and obligations [8]. This definition by implication, opines that
governance is good when citizen’s rights are put into consideration and their inputs are
recognized in the policy formulation process.
There are different opinions on e-governance from various scholars. To Estevez and
Janowski [9], E-governance is the application of technology by government organizations to
transform its activities and its interactions with the citizen so as to create an impactful
society. As viewed by Ginluca [10], e-governance as a concept that contains the application
of information and communication technology by a number of government agencies and civil
society in stimulating the frequent participation of citizens in the governing and
administrative process of political institutions. Similarly Sunday [11] opines that e- governance is the use of ICT by departments of government to promote accountability,
awareness creation and further guarantee openness in the administration of government. In
other words, an administrative and managerial process of an organization is the major
concern of e-governance. Also Palvia and Sharma [12] substantiate this view by asserting that
the basic focus of e-governance is the internal utilization of information and internet
technologies in the management of certain resources such as human, material, capital and
machines, which are arranged to aid managerial activities in an organization.
In Nkwe [13] his argument asserts that e-governance is a shift from the traditional model of
public administration. The shift is in terms of the delivery of government services to the
citizens through the use of ICT. In agreement with the forgoing, Ayo [14] described e- governance as the governance of a nation through the use of Information and Communication
