Chief Revenue Consultant and immediate past Executive Chairman of the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS), Prof. Murtala Awodun, has reiterated the potential of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure to drive socioeconomic development and good governance in the state.

He noted that effective ICT deployment is expected to positively impact Kwara's performance in key sectors including the economy, education, and health.

Awodun made the remarks while speaking as a guest on Sobi FM in Ilorin, where he was analysing the 2024 Performance Scorecard of the States in Nigeria (PSPI), published by Phillips Consulting (PCL), a global economic and management firm.

According to the professor of business and entrepreneurship, harnessing the power of digital infrastructure, otherwise known as Information Communication Technology (ICT), can significantly improve the level of governance in Kwara and provide better services to the citizens.

He said the state performance index (PSPI) report, according to Phillips Consulting (pcl.), is intended to provide insights into the socioeconomic performance and risk profiles of Nigerian states, provided for reference purposes.

"By harnessing the power of digital infrastructure, otherwise known as ICT, Kwara state can improve its performance in terms of governance and provide better services to the citizens. Per Philips Consulting's state performance index, in terms of ICT infrastructure, Kwara is viable in this parameter in order to drive socio-economic development, enhance transparency, accountability, and efficiency in governance."

Awodun highlighted the economic reforms implemented under his watch as the pioneer chairman of the reformed Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS), which he noted has consistently ranked Kwara fifth in terms of Internally Generated Revenue per capita since 2016.

"Whereas when we talked of the Internally Generated Revenue per capita, Kwara has moved to fifth position, consistently over the past eleven years till date. For a layman, IGR per capita means that when you divide what Kwara has generated in terms of revenue by the number of citizens, the state population, and in economics, it's called IGR per capita. I think these are viable strengths for our dear state in terms of state-level performances. It is soothing that Kwara has not dropped from the recent rankings."

When quizzed on the objectivity of the Phillips consulting performance index report, Awodun, who is also the Chief Revenue Consultant at Treefour Consult, said the assessment was based on verifiable data from objective feedback across the strata of government, adding that Nigerian states must genuinely be guided by this report for national development.

"As the world evolves, verifiable data from objective feedback across the Nigerian states is crucial for national development. That is why the Phillips consulting state-level performance index must not be ignored. For instance, in terms of public teacher availability, Kwara has been consistently strong. These are things you can quantify in terms of the employability of teachers and lecturers in our public institutions. Also, in terms of the honesty of public servants in Kwara, Philips reports ranked number 36 out of 37. Likewise, in terms of the quality of roads, Kwara ranked 28. When you look at this parameter, it is not only in Ilorin that you will look at; there is going to be consideration of your roads against the landmass that you have.

"In terms of security of lives and properties, Kwara is ranked number 20. In terms of the quality of primary and secondary schools, Kwara is ranked number 21. In terms of the affordability of public hospitals, Kwara is ranked 26. In terms of awareness of government policies and programmes, Kwara is ranked 27. Government support for local businesses in Kwara is ranked 27. Affordability of safe public transport, Kwara is ranked 27, and the rankings go on like that."

Awodun, meanwhile, charged the Kwara state government to essentially invest in ICT infrastructure and leverage technology to enhance transparency and accountability, for the state to remain relevant and competitive amongst the comity of states.