ICTs in Administrative Processes: Barometer of Willingness to Integrate Technology in Nigeria’s

Electoral Practices

Patience Akpan-Obong, PhD Nicholas Alozie, PhD

Arizona State University, Arizona, USA

Acknowledgements

• This research was supported by grant from the Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). Beyond the financial support, the Agency’s management and staff provided invaluable assistance during the field research in Abuja.

• We also acknowledge the cooperation of the heads of ICT departments in the MDAs who participated in the research.

• Mr. Taiwo Adamu Haruna provided research assistance.

Presentation Outline

• Introduction

• Theoretical/conceptual framework

• Methodology

• The research

• Sustainability of technologies in Nigeria’s electoral processes

• Conclusion

Introduction

• Part of a major research on integration of ICTs in government processes at the federal level-- Contributes to the national discourse on the role of technologies in the 2015 elections by exploring the sustainability of technology-enabled elections in Nigeria

• Research addresses two interrelated questions:

a. Was the use of technology in the 2015 elections an ad hoc intervention or threshold of a new approach to elections in the country?

b. If a foretaste of a new age in Nigerian elections, what factors will promote or hinder the sustainability of technology in future election cycles?

• Research questions are addressed through the examination of an already established e-government framework and integration of ICTs in governance -- Case study of selected federal MDAs in Abuja

• Research conducted in Abuja between January and April, 2015

Theoretical/Conceptual Overview

• What is the connection between ICT usage in federal MDAs and technologies in elections?-- Context matters (Avgerou, 2001; Kallinikos, 2004; Akpan-Obong, 2010)-- elections and electoral politics are part of the larger institutional, structural and policy framework in which federal MDAs operate

• Conceptions of e-government – integration of ICTs in administrative practices to achieve efficiency, fairness, transparency, etc. Three stages of e-government: Informational, interactive, transactional (Mayer-Schonberger & Lazer 2007)  

Information Interaction Transaction

Methodology

• Research instrument: questionnaire administered to heads of ICT or their representatives in 36 federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in Abuja-- items on the questionnaire were grouped in four broad sections to mirror the categories of interest

• Questionnaire was supplemented with semi-structured interviews with selected respondents-- the interviews provided background and context for the qualitative analysis but does not influence the statistical results

The Research: Profile of Respondents

ICT Staff in federal MDAs

• 37 on GL 15+-- 318 at GL 8,9

• 34% female clustering in the 6-10 range0.14% personnel in the top cadre(15+)

• Findings:-- More robust ICT usage if head is deputy director or director-- More robust usage if head or PShas background in core ICT

Grade Level

No of Staff on Level

No of Males on Level

No of Females on Level

17 9 7 216 7 6 115 21 19 214 34 33 113 40 31 912 51 40 1110 72 47 259 99 63 368 218 135 847 67 38 296 47 24 235 16 9 74 24 12 123 1 0 3

Total 707 464 243

Research: Categories of Assessment

• A. Technological CapacityPresence of: LAN, Intranet, employee access to the Internet, landline/fixed wireless phone

• B. Human Capacity-- training program for staff, type of training, requirements for ICT proficiency as condition for employment

• C. Intensity of Use-- primary/secondary modes of interaction with MDA’s stakeholders-- primary/secondary modes of stakeholders’ access to MDA’s services/products

• D. Level of Attention to ICTs or ICT Prioritization-- the extent to which ICT usage aligns with MDA’s core mission

A. Technological Capacity (1)

 

Technological CapacityMDA Has

  Local Area Network

Intranet

Internet

Landline/Fixed Wireless Phones

Yes N=36(100.0%)

N=18(50.0%

)

N=35(97.2%

)

N=23 (63.9%)

No N=0(0.0%)

N=17a

(47.2%)

N=1(2.8%)

N=13(36.1%)

N 36 35 36 36

• Technologies available to MDAs (in the offices and for official functions)

A. Technological Capacity (2)

• Level of access to ICTs by MDA staff is another critical aspect of technological capacity

• Findings:-- At least 50% of the employees in 27 MDAs have access to the Internet at work-- At least 50% of employees in 28 MDAs engage in tasks that require routine use of computers in the office-- 16 MDAs (44.4%) reported that mobile devices (cell phones, laptops, tablets, etc.) are assigned to a few senior staff for official use-- In almost all the MDAs, staff on GL 9+ have official e-mail addresses but most use yahoo and gmail accounts for both official and personal communication

B. Human CapacityRequires ICT Proficiency Does Not Require ICT

ProficiencyComm Tech Agriculture

Culture AviationEducation Defence

Environment FinanceFCDA F. AffairsMines Health

Niger Delta InformationTransport Interior

Women’s Affairs JusticeWorks LaborNCC Lands

Immigration PetroleumNIPOST Police Affairs

Trade & Industry Power  Science & Tech  Sports  Water Resources  Youth Dev  FRSC  National Planning

N=14 (39.9%) N=22 (61.1%)

• Training for general MDA staff (not just ICT personnel)

• Findings:

-- 14 MDAs require ICT proficiency as a condition for employment; 9 provide additional ICT training

-- 22 MDAs do not require ICT proficiency as condition for hiring; 16 provide ICT training

--Training ranges from ICT literacy as part of new employee orientation, to training in task-specific ICT usage

ICT Proficiency as Condition for Employment

C. Intensity of Use (1)

• Primary/secondary modes of interaction with stakeholders; primary/secondary modes of access to MDA’s services & products

• Options were: 1. Memo/letter/circular on hard copy; 2. In-person contact; 3. Phone call; 4. Text/SMS; 5. E-mail; 6. Social networks (Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, BBM, etc.); 7. Other (please specify).

• Options 4, 5, 6 were coded 1 for ICT; All else = 0 for no ICT7 = treated manually

C. Intensity of Use (2)

• Stakeholders’ mode of communication with MDAs: Findings

-- 16 MDAs reported that their stakeholders use ICTs as the primary mode of communication in interactions with them; 9 said their stakeholders use ICTs as secondary mode of communication with them

• MDA modes of communication with stakeholders: Findings

-- In 33 of the cases (91.7%)Memo/letter/circular on hard copy; In-person contact and Phone call were selected as the primary modes of communication by the MDAs with their stakeholders, and 75% as secondary. Only three MDAs chose the ICT options as the primary modes of communication with their stakeholders

D. Level of Attention to ICTs or ICT Prioritization (1)

• Level of Attention is assessed by exploring:

-- MDA’s core mission-- Alignment of ICT usage with core mission

Level of Attention

Alignment with Core Mission

Intensity of Use

Sophistication of Use

Degree of Impact

D. Level of Attention to ICTs or ICT Prioritization (2)

• A four-point scale was created to determine how closely an MDA’s ICT usage aligns with its core mission:4 = Closely aligns3= Somewhat aligns2. Aligns indirectly1. Does not align/no response

ICT Usage Aligns With MDA’s Core Mission

ICT Usage Aligns Somewhat With MDA’s Core Mission

ICT Usage Aligns Indirectly With MDA’s Core Mission

No Response/Lack of Connection Between ICT Usage and MDA’s Core Mission

 N=6 16.7%

 N=1233.3%

 N=411.1%

 N=1438.9%

Alignment of ICT Usage with MDA’s Core Mission

D. Level of Attention to ICTs or ICT Prioritization (3)

• Level of attention will determine the level of impact that ICT usage has on an organization

• The following question facilitates understanding of the relationship between assumptions/understanding of the level of ICT usage in an organization and observable impact of the technologies on operations: Has the availability of ICTs altered the way your organization operates?

Availability of ICTs Has Altered MDA’s Operations

 

Yes N=26 72.2%

No N=10 27.8%

Total N=36 100.0

Sustainability of Technologies in Nigeria’s Electoral Processes (1)

• Many technologies are involved in the electoral process-- examples of different technologies as used in different countries-- these technologies and their applications in different scenarios are explored in the paper

• E-voting is ‘prohibited’ by the Nigerian Constitution-- no country anywhere deploys technologies exclusively in its electoral processes

• PVC and SCR featured prominently before, during and after the Nigerian elections of 2015-- there was also extensive use of social media by both candidates and citizens-- Significant interest of Nigerians in the outcome of the elections

Sustainability of Technologies in Nigeria’s Electoral Processes (2)

• This research examines technological and human capacity, intensity of use, access to ICTs by federal civil servants and level of attention to ICT usage among those who currently drive the implementation of ICT policies in the country

• The research results show many levels of inadequacy in all categories

• There is demonstrated reluctance to integrate technologies in administrative processes-- For instance, many respondents said that e-mail is not considered as official means of communication

Sustainability of Technologies in Nigeria’s Electoral Processes (3)

• In addition to the hesitation of public sector officials to integrate technologies more fully in their administrative practices, there is the problem of technological capacity-- E-voting, for instance, presupposes many factors such as availability of cell phones, access to the Internet for online voting, and dependability of electricity and mobile connectivity-- While it may seem that every Nigerian has a cell phone, there is still a chunk of the population that does not, or lives in areas where connectivity is extremely poor or unavailable

• State of primary technologies and infrastructure will facilitate or hinder the sustainability of technology-enabled electoral processes

Conclusion

• This research raises many issues:1. Insufficient level of capacity (technological and human) in the public sector-- this impedes robust application of ICTs in administrative practices, includingelectoral politics.

2. General reluctance of public officials to digitalize their routine practices(persistence of the incoming/outgoing notebooks)

-- The very ethos of the civil service conflict with usage of technologies to promote transparency and open government

3. Many Nigerians are willing to accept new technology-enabled election processes but public policy must be consistent with public practice

Conclusion: What is Needed

1. Commitments to local acquisition and development of technologies

2. Training for those who manage or use technologies

3. Voter education on civic rights and responsibilities, and the different electoral technologies and functions-- this will diffuse tension and distrust while expanding acceptance, not just of election technologies but of technologies in all Nigerian sectors.