By Edebor Esther
In line with Governor Monday Okpebholo’s initiatives of strengthening institutional efficiency and ensuring alignment with its administration’s strategic objectives, the Edo State Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) has conducted a comprehensive internal staff validation exercise at the Agency’s office in Benin City.
According to the Managing Director of ICTA, Mr. Eghosa Urhoghide, the exercise was designed to assess the Agency’s workforce capacity; define staff roles and responsibilities; and evaluate responsiveness to assigned ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs). It covered all categories of personnel including staff stationed at the Headquarters and across MDAs.
Mr. Urhoghide declared that the validation exercise became necessary due to the dynamic and decentralized structure of the Agency’s operations, with its staff strategically posted across various government institutions, including Edo State Liaison offices in Abuja and Lagos. He added that there was a need for reconciling records to verify actual staff strength, and ensure that human resources are optimally utilized to address instances of overlapping responsibilities, absenteeism, and potential payroll inconsistencies.
In his words, “Given the nature of our work and the widespread deployment of personnel, it became imperative to conduct this audit. We considered it prudent to ensure that the number of staff on our payroll aligns with those physically present and actively discharging their responsibilities. This validation exercise is part of a broader framework of the Governor Monday Okpebholo-led administration to institutionalize transparency, enhance accountability, and boost service delivery across Edo State. The exercise also allows us to assess staff performance and reassign roles where necessary to improve overall efficiency.
The exercise is a testimonial to the resolve of the Governor Okpebholo-led administration to optimize human resources, and ensure efficient use of public funds, while aligning workforce deployment with the State’s development goals.
