By Abdullahi Idris, Dutse
Governor Umar Namadi of Jigawa State has been honoured in Abuja with the Digital Governor of the Year 2025 (Northwest Region) Award at the Nigeria GovTech Public Service Awards, organised by the Bureau for Public Service Reforms (BPSR) under the Presidency .
The governor received this award for his remarkable efforts in digitizing governance and modernizing service delivery in Jigawa State where his leadership led to, among other achievements, the establishment of the Jigawa State ICT & Digital Economy Agency, a pivotal center for innovation and digital policy aimed at preparing the youth for the digital economy.
Alongside Governor Namadi, other notable recipients include Dr. Alex Otti (Abia), Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri (Adamawa), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), and Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang (Plateau); all recognized for their contributions to public service.
The event with the theme, “Redefining Possibilities: Harnessing Emerging Technologies for Public Service Delivery and Socio-Economic Development,” which reflects the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, emphasizing the role of technology in enhancing governance.
In his remarks, Governor Namadi expressed deep gratitude to Allah (SWT) for the recognition, saying that, “First and foremost, I am deeply grateful to Allah (SWT) for this moment when I was presented with the prestigious Nigeria GovTech Public Service Award as the Digital Governor of the Year 2025 in the Northwest Region. It was by His Grace and guidance that we achieved so much in promoting ICT & Digital Economy, significant enough to be recognised and be considered deserving of this Award.”
He also appreciated the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) and the Nigeria GovTech Public Service Award Committee for their effective management of the nomination and screening processes leading to this award,” saying that, “I believe this recognition is not just a personal honour to my person but a testimony to the collective dedication, innovation, and resilience of the entire Jigawa State team.”
The Governor stated that he was truly delighted that his efforts to leverage ICT in deepening e-governance in the transformation of the Jigawa State Public Service, creating jobs for the youths, and promoting a digital economy, are steadily making a desired impact.”
“We will remain steadfast and committed to this endeavour as we implement all aspects of our 12-point Agenda, which also aligned with and complements the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, he said”
Governor Namadi emphasized that promoting ICT remains a central pillar of his administration’s policy direction.
“Promoting ICT is a topmost priority for us. Our objectives include reclaiming the past glory of Jigawa State as a pacesetter in e-governance and the deployment of ICT in achieving socioeconomic development.
“Some of the specific interventions achieved over the last two years include, among others, the formulation of a robust ICT Policy & Strategy, followed by the establishment of an Agency known as Jigawa State ICT & Digital Economy Agency. The almost moribund Galaxy ITT Limited, established over 20 years ago, which was also the precursor to the Federal Government’s Galaxy Backbone, was revived with additional investments to support the implementation of our vision of Digital Economy. While over 1000 youths were trained on various digital out-sourcing initiatives to create digital job opportunities, equally 1000 civil servants were trained on various aspects of ICT to promote e-governance in the State.”
He further mentioned that, in March this year, the State Government unveiled an Application Programming Interface called Jigawa OneAPI as a groundbreaking initiative designed to facilitate a secure and seamless digital service platform within and across government institutions in the State. Indeed, this recognition is a great inspiration to us as we commit to deepening our investments in ICT to accelerate the attainment of our vision.”