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National eGovernment Strategies Ltd
November 9, 2020
PRESS RELEASE
THE TRANSPARENCY ACCOUNTABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY (TAS) PROJECT
Nigeria is the largest economy in Africa and has one of the largest population of young people in the world. The country presently ranks among the 7th most populous country globally and is projected to be the world’s third with an estimated population of 402 million people by 2050 (U.S. Census Bureau). This makes Nigeria well positioned to develop a formidable digital economy estimated to yield approximately $1.0 trillion.
Corruption has however remained an albatross on the neck of Nigeria. According to The Guardian of September 30, 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari is quoted to have said that Nigeria is struggling with illicit financial flows (IFF), making successive budget implementation a near impossibility over the past 15 years. By the current exchange rate of N381 to the dollar, the country’s cumulative budget from 2004 to 2017 stood at approximately N60 trillion, while about N103 trillion was stolen in illicit transfers. Reversing this trend must therefore become topmost priority of every Nigerian. That is the reason for the development of the Transparency Accountability and Sustainability (TAS) idea, a digital tool designed to eliminate corruption, improve efficiency, create employment pervasively and eventually treble the size of the Nigerian economy.
National eGovernment Strategies Limited (NeGSt) is a wholly private sector-driven outfit mandated to implement electronic governance in Nigeria. The promoters of NeGSt pioneered the entrance of Nigeria into the Space Science and Technology arena with the successful development and launch of the NigeriaSat-1 Low Earth Orbit Satellite, in September 2003. Subsequent development in the arena also paved the way for the launch of the Nigeria’s telecommunications satellites both of which have combined to give Nigeria an “eye” and an “ear” in the orbit, an epoch-making achievement which helped ensure the movement of Nigeria from analogue to digital technology. Same promoters are now poised to give Nigeria a ‘’voice’’ in the orbit, with a view to completing the third leg of the tripod.
Having achieved great success with the pilot project, NeGSt is set to boldly fulfill her mandate and help Nigeria address her issues of endemic corruption and inefficiency in the delivery of government services with the launch of TAS. Working with the present generation of young, energetic and talented Nigerians, NeGSt is ready to replicate the template of the highly successful pilot project and help government and the people of Nigeria to do away with corruption and inefficiency in government businesses across the board. We therefore call for calm and solicit the co-operation of all and sundry to work with us in an orderly manner to change Nigeria’s sordid narratives permanently for the profit of all.
We must however sound a note of warning that enemies abound, waiting on the wings to stop the implementation of this laudable initiative. People who want the status quo ante to continue will stop at nothing to find faults, discredit and ultimately destroy the main ingredients of this very exciting initiative.
Eseroghene Ovwie
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