Lagos State Unveils Citizens-Government Communication Platform
Luqmon Balogun, Lagos
The Lagos State Government has unveiled an upgraded platform that forges comprehensive communication channels between the citizens and government.
The channel according to the government is to enables it to entertain complaints from the citizens and invariably allows them to participate in government processes.
The multichannel platform named “Citizens’ Gate 2.0 App” is a development on the 1.0 version designed to accommodate interactions between the government and the citizens.
At a press conference to launch the platform, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Civic Engagement, Princess Aderemi Adebowale, explained that the pillars of the Citizens Gate application, centered on Citizen’s participation, Open Communication and Transparency on the part of the government.
Adebowale maintained that the multichannel platform is tailored to offer Social benefits such as Feedback Mechanism, Population Profiling, Captures Accurate Public Opinion, Tracking and Enforcing of Government Performances, Security/Community Policing, LASRRA registration and verification, and Access to day-to-day activities across MDAs.
Inclusive government
She added that the platform was conceived to have an all-inclusive government in the State where citizens can participate pragmatically in the process of governance.
“The CitizensGate 2.0 Platform” is an application that interfaced with the citizens of Lagos State and is expected to take governance to the doorstep of residents irrespective of their social class for all-inclusive governance, while bringing governance closer to the governed.”
“The platform is a web and app-based e-governance channel that enabled access to, “and delivery of public goods i.e government information, public assets and service through a well-defined customer relationship management infrastructure that capitalizes on both physical ICT hardware and soft human skills,” she said
Navigating MDAs
Adebowale further stressed that the Citizens Gate platform would enable citizens to navigate all existing MDAs websites “and build a road map for a greater citizen’s engagement as a One-Stop-Shop for everything about Lagos State.
According to her “The platform will so be addressing several issues, enquiries, complaints, suggestions, commendations and giving the citizens and visitors real-time direct access to Lagos State Government and its activities through both smartphone and non-smartphone users on a 24/7 toll-free non-emergency number to put a call across to the Citizens Gate Customer Service Centre for enquiries or complaints at the command and control centre.”
“The platform will be made available free to citizens, tourists, friends of Lagos State including people in diaspora and everyone via Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Social Media Platforms and more.”
She said the government expected that the One Stop–Shop aspect of the Citizens Gate would allow end users to sit comfortably at home or on their handheld mobile device, navigate and connect with all MDAs at go without any difficulties.
The State is giving assurance that the platform would deliver economic and social benefits to the citizens of Lagos State and investors as a drive towards the Smart City Status.
Dominica Nwabufo