Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has called on stakeholders to leverage data-driven governance to improve public service delivery across the state.
The governor made the call on Thursday in Umuahia while declaring open a one-day workshop on Strategic Digital Public Infrastructure and Delivery, organised for public service stakeholders under the Unified Data Architecture initiative.
Represented by Deputy Governor Ikechukwu Emetu, Otti stressed the importance of credible data and a reliable identity system in modern governance.
“In an era where economies thrive on information, Abia State cannot afford to operate in silos,” he said. “A unified data architecture will empower us to track performance, allocate resources more efficiently, improve internally generated revenue, strengthen social protection systems, and deliver public services with precision and speed.”
He added that without accurate data, planning becomes guesswork, and without a harmonised identity framework, service delivery becomes fragmented.
The governor said the workshop represents a strategic step towards addressing gaps caused by lack of data, positioning Abia State for evidence-based governance.
He urged participants to ensure that the workshop produced a “scalable, secure, and fit-for-purpose framework” to support the strategic objectives of all government agencies.
“The future of governance is digital, the future of planning is analytical, the future of accountability is data-based, and Abia State is ready to lead in this direction,” Otti said.
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Highlighting the theme of the workshop, “One Data, One Identity, One Government,” the governor described it as a transformational blueprint to integrate and harmonise data systems across Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
The initiative aims to eliminate duplication, enhance transparency, improve policy formulation, and ensure government decisions are measurable, accountable, and impactful.
Secretary to the State Government, Dr Emmanuel Meribeole, underscored the need for an integrated data architecture, noting that decisions could no longer rely on assumptions or fragmented evidence.
“For us to plan effectively, allocate resources appropriately, monitor our funds accurately, and deliver services efficiently, we must build an integrated data architecture anchored on a reliable identity system,” he said.
The Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mr Kingsley Anosike, added that having a single source of data would enable the state government to perform significantly better than it currently does.
The workshop brought together commissioners, special advisers, permanent secretaries, directors, and planning officers, featuring sector-by-sector presentations aimed at developing a cohesive framework for data-driven governance in Abia State.