E-GOVERNMENT IN THE FEDERAL ROAD SAFETY COMMISSION IN SOUTHWEST NIGERIA

Abstract

E-Government, the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into public sector operations, has been adopted in many countries, as a response to inefficiency and poor service delivery in public organisations. Its introduction by Nigeria's Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in 2007 was expected to improve efficiency, but the extent of success, the inhibiting factors and/or the success-facilitating strategies are yet to be clearly established. Previous studies that have examined e-Government adoption in Nigeria's public sector have focused mainly on government ministries, with little attention paid to agencies such as the FRSC. This study, therefore, examined the implementation of eGovernment in the Southwest operations of the FRSC, with a view to ascertaining the determining factors, strategies and extent of success of its adoption. The study was anchored to the Innovation Theory, while survey design was adopted. Primary data were collected through key informant interviews and in-depth interviews, as well as a questionnaire administered electronically. Key informant interviews were conducted with 18 officials of the FRSC in Lagos (3), Oyo (5), Osun (4) and the agency's National Headquarters, Abuja (6). In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 end-users in Lagos (4), Oyo (5) and Osun (3). The electronic questionnaire was administered to 265 respondents who had used the electronic services of the FRSC in Lagos (118), Oyo (87) and Osun (60) states. The minimum sample size was determined using power analysis. Secondary data on e-Government implementation were obtained from the FRSC Annual Reports (2010,2013, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018). Descriptive statistics and Chi-square were used in analysing the quantitative data, while the Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis was used for the qualitative data. The participants' age was 37.9±3.03, while 70.9% were male. The need to mitigate road traffic accidents, engender efficient service delivery, improve communications with endusers, and enhance financial transparency and accountability were the determinants of the adoption of e-Government in the FRSC. The strategies employed in the implementation of e-Government in the FRSC included the deployment of electronic services such as the agency's website, the National Vehicle Identification Scheme, the Driver's Licence Electronic Application platform, the Electronic Payment Platform, and the Emergency Call Centre. There was no significant association between e-Government adoption and service delivery in the agency (2=8.25, p>0.05). The majority (69.8%) of the participants rated the success of e-Government adoption in FRSC's service delivery as medium, 12.8 % rated the performance as low, 12.8% rated as high, while 4.6% of the participants did not report. Delay in service delivery, fraudulent practices, technical and infrastructural deficits, low user awareness and poor quality of service characterised operations at the FRSC, and affected the level of success. The adoption of e-Government in the Federal Road Safety Commission in Southwest Nigeria has not translated into efficiency in service delivery. The agency should ensure increased funding and adequate provision of electronic infrastructure, public enlightenment and digital literacy for the citizenry, to make the implementation of e-Government by the agency successful.