By Moustapha Salihu
As technology advances globally, governments are leveraging this advancement to connect with citizens. Nigeria is no exception, but platforms provided are hindered by inadequacies, resulting in widespread frustration, anger, and missed opportunities.
Technology as we know it is transforming the globe; therefore, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) plays a vital role in enhancing the delivery of information to the public. In the era of globalization, governments the world over utilize these tools to engage citizens In March 2024, internet usage in Nigeria surged according to official data, reflecting the country’s deepening reliance on digital services with data consumption growing by 37.77 percent to 713,200 terabytes (TB) as of December 2023 from 517,670 TB in January, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
Today, there are nearly 2 billion websites online, with thousands that belong to different government agencies and organizations. Unfortunately, despite adaptation of technology Nigerian governments site have been slow and update, information, user interface and mobile optimization on these websites do not make a very good first impression on citizens visiting for one purpose or the other.
Anger and Frustration from Failed Registrations
As technology evolves, and the world moving towards that direction, governments find it necessary to equip citizens with necessary digital skills to drive economic growth. To this end, Nigeria rolled out the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) program aimed at building Nigeria’s technical talent backbone to power digital economy and position Nigeria as a net talent exporter. The student loan scheme through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) another is intervention to provide access to education for all, including the less privileged.
Although these are massive opportunity, Nigerian expressed distain about slow registration on these website which hindered applications for such initiatives which ought to better lives. Application may not be a guarantee to securing the fellowship or loan, but completion and submission would have provided a glimmer of hope. This is not limited as other government establishments are also found wanting.
“Government websites are often not reliable. The student loan and the 3 Million Technical Talent portals (https://portal.nelf.gov.ng and https://3mtt.nitda.gov.ng/) are my recent experience. Initially, the process was frustrating. I attempted to register on behalf of my younger brother for the student loan, but the website took several minutes to load and in the end, we were unable to complete the exercise.
“Another experience is with the Kwara 3MTT, the page took forever to open and the registration was another difficult task. The applications were never completed so, we can never know if we would have been selected. Other websites are plagued with outdated information, poor data presentation and missing information. Improving website features and functionality enhances user experience by providing a smooth and intuitive interface, easy navigation, and responsive design,” Joshua Abiodun from Kwara State testifies.
The federal government also approved N110 billion to rejuvenate her National Youth Investment Fund (NYIF), an initiative meant for young Nigerians remain out of reach. Ibrahim Musa from Zamfara State provided a firsthand account on NYIF and Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), whose mandate is to provide access to knowledge, funding, tools and market to help MSMEs. According to him, while these websites are meant to provide relief and or lifeline, accessing them only increases frustration and leave potential beneficiaries hopeless.
“Numerous difficulties with several websites I must say, this year particularly with NYIF and SMEDAN, among others. There is widespread dissatisfaction with the performance of some government websites in Nigeria. It is particularly annoying when grants are rolled out, only for these websites to become unresponsive or sluggish. These websites should provide relief for youths and make them self-reliant, not compound our difficulties and sense of hopelessness.
Corroborating the NYIF case, Luka John from Enugu State, had this to say: “While trying to secure a loan through the youth investment fund to startup a business, I consistently encountered serious traffic. Government websites are perpetually slow and plagued by numerous glitches. Ideally, these websites should be consistently responsive, error-free, and load efficiently without delays. Unfortunately, the lack of alternatives forces people to endure these subpar digital services and not getting what they want at the end.”
“In my case, it was the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) result viewing site (IREV portal) for the 2023 presidential election. The experience was awful, while trying to access the portal, email and password were requested in order to gain access but upon inputting these information, I got disappointed, it kept displaying ‘server error’.
“Expectation is for such portal to be as fast as the speed of light considering sensitivity of elections in Nigeria. Such hiccup was due was due multitude of people trying to gain access. But with what technology is today, should that be the case? I had to rely on social media platforms instead of the commission in charge of electoral process (INEC).” Idris Mustaqim a resident in Kogi State recounted experience.
“The Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Service Board’s (CDCFIB) recruitment website provided an excruciating experience due to the numerous difficulties encountered while attempting to access it. Navigating the site was far from seamless, as progressing beyond the initial stages proved challenging.
“I had expected a top-tier website but it fell short so, I could not apply. Infrequent maintenance often rendered these sites inaccessible with high volume of users at a time, congestion is experienced. To address this, government needs to upgrade user interface (UI) for their sites to enhance user experience,” Muhammed Umaru Yakubu relayed anecdotes.
For Idris Umar, considering Nigeria’s high employment rate of approximately 73.6 percent to 76.7 percent, it is crucial that government sites designed for recruitment processes function efficiently to provide a plain field for applicants nationwide.
Citing the recent call for application by Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, he said, “During the last NNPCL recruitment process, I was trying to access the portal for my younger siblings. The site crashed only hours after the organization announced it was accepting applications to fill existing vacancies. The portal became difficult for many to access due numerous requests accessing the website, it took longer time to load which means you use more data to fill out the form. They (NNPCL) could have designed the portal to function well, looking at the number of job seekers in the country, many people will rush the portal simultaneously and that would make it impossible to download the form. This should not be the case, government sites can be designed better.”
Inadequate Information, Lack of Mobile Optimization
Information is vital to national and individual development. Organisations, governments, and individuals increasingly store information on websites for easy access. For governments, this information should be readily accessible to citizens for information or research purposes. However, in Nigeria, people have consistently lamented the presence of outdated information on some of these platforms.
A legal practitioner from Kwara State, who prefers to remain anonymous, shared his story. He said: “There is an array of problems with how our websites operate. I have personally attempted to gather information on the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) portal, but it was outdated. Consequently, I could not get the appropriate answers to my questions due to inadequate information. Government and their web developers or managers should be proactive in this regard. As soon as new information becomes available, it should be uploaded.”
“Downtime or maintenance, slow loading speeds, complex navigation, outdated information, broken links, technical errors (e.g., 404, 500), incompatible browsers or devices, meaning some sites do not work on mobile phones, security concerns (e.g., SSL certificate issues), CAPTCHA challenges etc. are things you must encounter in government internet addresses,” Fatima Umoru decried bottlenecks she has experienced.
Speaking further she added, “Let me give an example with the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) website. Some sections lack adequate information, creating confusion and undermining any trust citizens may have in government; I could not get what I wanted from the portal.”
“My dilemma with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) lay in accessing accurate data for my research paper on ‘The Incidence of Floods in Urban Areas’. Unfortunately, I encountered insufficient and outdated data, hindering my progress. Regular updates, ideally on a monthly basis, would greatly enhance the usefulness of their data for researchers like me,” a PhD student and a lecturer
Slow Performance and unexpected Encounters
Institutions such as the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), which introduced Computer-Based Testing in 2013 and made it compulsory in 2015, and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) are still struggling. Registrations and examinations are frequently delayed due to the poor performance of their online portals.
“Since the introduction of CBT, numerous issues remain unaddressed. Registration was difficult and it took me seven and a half hours to complete a two-hour test – utterly frustrating. I expect government websites to function efficiently, particularly regarding critical services like grants and examinations. We urgently need significant improvements in the ICT sector,” Ibrahim Musa who recently sat for the exam recounts.
Unwana Ema explained how she had to attempt severally before she could register for her matriculation examination this year. “At the onset of JAMB registration this year, the website was user-friendly, but it soon became slow and inaccessible. I struggled to upload my data, and the capturing process was annoying. It took four attempts before a successful upload. I had expected a seamless and efficient registration process, but that was not the case.”
On NIMC, Shaibu Stephen recounts his experience and how he prefers to use do things manually rather than rely on government portals, “The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) was underwhelming at the time. There should be significant improvements with how far ICT come. Specifically, between 2020 and 2021, obtaining a National Identification Number (NIN) was a laborious process.
“Updating personal details was nearly impossible due to the bottlenecks in the system, which failed to deliver the solutions it promised. Generating NIN was also extremely challenging. Honestly, I do not rely on government websites and prefer to visit their office in person to resolve issues, as its ability to provide adequate remote solutions.”
Standardisation, Personal Interest, Others Responsible – Experts React
Professionals in the technology ecosystem have identified standardization, human interest, and knowledge gaps as the reasons behind the apparent or perceived failure of some government ministry, department and agency (MDA) websites in the country.
“First is the knowledge gap in the ICT of citizens in the country; website may be developed just fine but inability of users to navigate makes it look like a job not well done. Majority know how to and are interested in social media so, they are not invested in putting little efforts to learn how navigate websites with a bit of technicality. Second is architecture and infrastructure of the website. Having a background of how many users will possibility access the site makes it easier to create a site that does not crash. Crashing usually happens when users are under estimated.
“The right information gets you to know where and how to host your server. Around the world, developers use 1GB MT Port which can accommodate over one million users on any site at a time but locally, some may decide to manage by using 200mb MT port and when it overwhelmed it crashes. Nepotism and personal interests often compromise website quality also. In some cases, decision-makers prioritize cost-cutting and personal gain over expertise, outsourcing development to unqualified individuals or places faraway where price for service can be inflated. Yahaya Shuaibu Musa, a cloud computing, streaming and digital media expert, and Chief Technology Officer, Yahmis Global Limited explains.
The technology experts talked about data centers for hosting servers, requirements, challenges and possible reasons behind insufficient information government portals. “Nigeria lacks good data centers to host servers domestically. Currently, 50-60% of servers are hosted by Galaxy Backbone, which falls short of international standards like AWS and Google Cloud. Key challenges include inadequate power supply, posing risks to data centre functionality, insufficient monitoring and maintenance outside working hours and inadequate physical security for infrastructure. The destruction of the NCC Centre in Kano during the #EndBadGovernance protests highlights the urgency for improved security. Developers prioritize affordability, security, and reliability in data centre services,”
On inadequate information on some websites he said, “The first question to ask is whether or not MDAs have seamless data reportal process. Data collection is a process. Using the child birth as an example, he said officers responsible for reporting birth cases should be stationed across all Primary Health Centers (PHC) that way, the information will be uploaded in record time on the website for public access.”
Akintola Alli, a Cloud Governance Specialist, note downtime, unavailability and slow performance and outdated information as shortcomings of MDAs websites. To address this, he recommends “load balancing between servers and clients (users)”. According to him “Effective website design requires balancing low and high traffic, depending on usage frequency, which a skilled developer should be able to manage automatically.”
On website incompatibility with mobile devices, Alli explains, “This is a standardization and technical issue. National guidelines for website design and mobile optimization are necessary but it is important to know that some MDAs do not allow such function due to security reasons.”
The experts underscore the need to address the human factors, need for indigenous cloud hosting servers and a centralized information hub for monitoring and contacting defaulting MDAs. Organizations like NITDA and Galaxy Backbone have a long way to address these standardization and this should be done aggressively, as government websites often fall short.
Government Officials Respond
Several attempts to contact Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Galaxy Backbone yielded no result. However, Galaxy Backbone replied, “We acknowledge receipt of your mail and will engage you soon for details or revert with ticket number already logged” to an email sent requesting response to concerns in this report.
A source who spoke confidentially on behalf of NITDA agreed that some of these MDAs design sites with “Lack of foresight” and “sustainability and scalability plan” especially owing to the fact that they all do not use Galaxy Backbone as the recommended server hosting agency but is optimistic that with guidelines put in place by the agency “these nightmares will soon be a thing of the past.”
