THE IMPACT OF E-GOVERNANCE IN PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY IN NIGERIA: A CASE STUDY OF LAGOS STATE SECRETARIAT - ALAUSA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the study: The widespread adoption of e-governance in many countries throughout the world is based on its seeming capacity to expedite the delivery of public services. The two main benefits of eGovernment are its effectiveness and its ability to reduce corruption through automation. Among other advantages for the country, e-Government can lessen financial gaps between nations and boost travel (Pankan & Radhakrishnan, 2016). The notion of electronic governance encompasses various aspects. "e-Administration (Improving Government Processes), e-Citizen (Connecting Citizens), e-Society (Building external Interactions), and e-Applications (Government-to-Citizen or Government-to-Customer, Government-to-Business and Government-to-Government and Government-to-Employees" are a few of the elements that make up e-Governance yuan, and Khan, 2023). Combining all of these e-governance elements would ideally result in a different public service delivery system for any country, including Nigeria.

The use of computers to do many government jobs, such as internal communications, accounting, planning, budgeting, and many more administrative chores, is referred to as "e-administration". The primary goal of e-Administration is to guarantee the effectiveness of administrative processes. Connecting people in a way that optimises the advantages of social interactions is the aim of e-people. This can mean creating online communities and forums where individuals can interact and discuss public concerns. Public discourse via phone-in on the internet is a great example of this. The development of a paperless application process is known as e-Application, and the development of the means for seamless external interactions with many institutions within society is referred to as e-Society (Efobi & Onwukwe, 2024). Amir et al. (2023), in contrast to Pankan & Radhakrishnan (2016), saw e-Government (as they named it) from the perspective of information technology (IT) capacities at various stages of development. Four levels were identified for IT governance capability. Stage one IT capacity is defined as having a functional official website that makes information about government operations accessible to the general public. In a typical top-down information flow, information is exchanged one way from the public sector to the government during this phase. Enabling two-way interactions determines the second stage of e-governance. Among other things, two-way interactions are assumed to have the ability to email questions, enable live chat feedback methods, download forms, complete them, and submit them to a portal. The capacity to safely pay taxes, levies, dues, licence renewal fees and other charges online is required for the third level. The fourth step, dubbed the "e-Democracy stage," comprises electronic voting along with electronic policymaking and consultations. The United Nations worldwide E-Government Readiness Report (2004) identifies five stages in the worldwide development of e-governance. These stages include the following: emerging presence, enhanced presence, interactive presence, transactional presence, enhanced presence, networked (or fully integrated) presence. The UN states that the initial stage, referred to as "emergence presence," is when a country decides to participate in e-governance. According to UN definitions, this stage is characterised by a restricted and usually static (i.e., non-interactive) online presence, akin to that of Carrubbo & Sarno (2011) and Nuhu et al. (2023). At the moment, the goal is to give information to the publics of various government agencies, parastatals, and entities in a one-way fashion.

The second level is referred to as "heightened presence." As of right now, there have been several noticeable changes, particularly with regard to the contents and how they are updated. However, the majority of information flow currently occurs between the government and its citizens. Compared to phases one and two, there is an increase in services and a level of involvement. At stage three, the number of related government parastatals also increased significantly. During the transactional presence stage (stage four), there is usually fully established two-way engagement between the government and the public or between the government and outside groups. In stage five, all government agencies, parastatals, and departments fully integrate with e-Government. According to Michalis (2023), this stage is the fourth stage. Government operations are being carried out in real time with electronic records, with paper work acting merely as a backup. Global e-Government is primarily driven by the rapid growth of ICT (\ENGÜL & Günal, 2023). It is true, in actuality, that e-Government would not have been possible without the growth of the ICT sector. This demonstrates the significance of ICT for e-Government. One common ICT that has drastically altered communication between government agencies and parastatals is email. It has dramatically altered the speed at which messages are sent and received, how long they are kept for future access, and how quickly—and occasionally for free—messages can reach millions of recipients. It appears that Nigeria's public sector has all the measurements needed for e-Government. The country's internet penetration is rapidly increasing (Poushter, 2016); corruption is pervasive and endemic (Kabir & Baniamin, 2013); and public and civil personnel are perceived to have underperformed in terms of service delivery (Rizki & Kurniawan, 2023). These indices appear to call for the development of new techniques or tools that could improve the delivery of public services. Realising the potential of ICT and, by extension, e-Governance, towards empowering the people and improving public service delivery in this digital age, the Federal Government of Nigeria, headed by General Olusegun Obasanjo, developed the national information technology policy in 2001 (O'Riordan & Boyle, 2023). The policy's roadmap will ensure that the country has ICT capabilities by 2005 (Dharmika & Subanda, 2023).

Considering the aforementioned, it can be concluded that for a minimum of 15 years, there has been a formal emphasis on e-Government as a means of improving the delivery of public services. Therefore, a review of this strategy is necessary to understand how it affects public service delivery across the country. Thus, the aim of this research is to assess the impact of e-Government on public service delivery using the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, as a case study.

The study's focal point organisation, the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, was selected due to the breakthroughs that have taken place there, primarily in the field of deeper eService delivery. To the best of the researcher's knowledge—having examined the body of relevant literature—the organization's internal usage of e-Governance is still unknown to the general public and has not yet been the focus of an empirical investigation. This study attempts to close the information gap that is left.

1.2 Statement of the problem

In developing nations, such as Nigeria, governments play a vital role in allocating economic resources and providing essential services to the population (Molobela & Uwizeyimana, 2023). The quality of service provided by public servants is a vital measure of the overall welfare of the population in these countries. The delivery of public services in Nigeria is characterised by a lack of efficiency (Singh et al., 2010). The study conducted by Molobela & Uwizeyimana (2023) highlighted significant differences between the expected level of service offered by public officials and the perceived quality of service provided. In order to enhance the effectiveness of Nigerian public sector agencies in achieving government's policy objectives, it is imperative to examine the nature of E-governance and Service Delivery in the country. This is a critical issue as the Nigerian public service has faced numerous challenges, including poor service delivery, a lack of service culture, low employee engagement, and negative customer experiences. These issues have significantly hindered the provision of public services in the country (Ajibade et al., 2017). The understanding of the government service performance at Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, in relation to the implementation of eGovernance is of utmost importance.

The use of technology in the Lagos State Secretariat for engaging with other government agencies such as National Youth Service Corps and National University Commission, also known as Government to Government, is unclear in terms of its impact on effective service delivery. In the same way, the use of technology within its internal operations among workers is not accessible to the general public and has not been experimentally evaluated. Furthermore, e-Governance is often misconstrued as limited to government organisations or institutions having a static online presence (Shamsuddin, 2023). Although it is praiseworthy for governments or their agencies to have websites to establish an online presence, it is important to note that simply owning websites does not equate to the concept of e-Governance. The focus of this study is to assess the effectiveness of the eGovernance initiatives that have been put in place at the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, and their impact on the provision of public services.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

This study seeks to investigate the influence of e-Governance on the provision of public services, specifically focusing on the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa. The precise aims are to:

Assess the impact of e-Governance on the culture of service.

Examine the correlation between e-Governance and the level of service quality.

Examine the impact of e-Governance on the level of employee engagement.

Examine the correlation between electronic governance and the satisfaction of customers.

1.4 Research Questions

How does e-Governance have significant effect on the service culture in Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa?

What is the relationship between e- Governance and service quality in Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa?

How does e-Governance have significant effect on employee engagement in Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa?

What is the relationship between e- Governance and the customer experience in Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

The study hypotheses are stated in null form and presented below:

H01: e-Governance has no significant effect on the service culture in Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa.

H02: There is no significant relationship between e-Governance and service quality in Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa.

H03: e-Governance has no significant effect on employee engagement in Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa.

H04: There is no significant relationship between e-Governance and the customer experience in Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa.

1.6 Significance of the Study

This study aims to enhance the understanding of e-Governance in the specific context of Nigeria and its public domain. The study will utilise the available literature on e-Governance from both local and international sources. It aims to contribute to scholarly literatures that analyse the effects of e-Governance on the provision of public services in Nigeria. The study is deemed theoretically noteworthy due to its innovation in comprehensively analysing all aspects of e-Governance in public institutions within the context of Nigeria. This is in contrast to the prevailing concentration on e-Application, which dominates the existing literature on e-Governance in Nigeria. This allows for a comprehensive evaluation of e-Governance in public institutions in Nigeria, which adds to the existing body of knowledge on e-Governance and public service provision. This study will examine the Secretariat Alausa Lagos state and contribute to the existing empirical evidence on public institutions in Nigeria about e-Governance projects, their adoption, and the problems faced in achieving comprehensive e-Governance in Nigeria's public sector.

1.7 Scope of the Study

This study aims to evaluate the e-governance initiatives implemented in Secretariat Alausa, Lagos state, and assess their perceived impact on the board's public service delivery. The implementation of E-Governance has been a gradual and cumulative process that has taken place over the years. This study aims to examine the historical progression of e-Governance in the Lagos State Secretariat, located in Alausa. This study specifically examines the e-Governance projects and service delivery in the Lagos State Secretariat in Alausa.

1.8 Definition of Terms

E-Governance: also known as electronic governance, is the utilisation of Information Communication Technology (ICT) inside the government to facilitate and manage various governmental tasks, including the delivery of public services.

Employee Service Delivery: the provision of services by government employees to the general public as part of their duties in the public sector.

Customer Experience: refers to the complete set of encounters that a customer has with an organisation and its products. The term refers to the comprehensive manner in which customers interact with the organisation and its brand, encompassing not only a single moment but the whole duration of their customer journey.

Employee Engagement: a strategy in the workplace that creates optimal circumstances for all individuals within an organisation to consistently perform at their highest level. This involves being dedicated to the organization's objectives and principles, being inspired to contribute to its success, and experiencing an improved feeling of personal well-being.

Service Quality: how effectively a provided service meets the client's anticipated standards. Service business operators frequently evaluate the service quality offered to their consumers to enhance their service, promptly discover issues, and more effectively gauge client happiness.