Galaxy Backbone Set to Bridge Technology Gap

Managing Director of Galaxy Backbone, Mr. Gerald Ilukwe

By Emma Okonji

Galaxy Backbone, the integrated information communication technology company for federal government has reiterated its determination to support government in bridging the gap between it and the citizens.

Managing Director of Galaxy Backbone, Mr. Gerald Ilukwe, made the pledge on in Lagos at the opening of the Social Media Week held at the Lagos e-Learning Centre recently.

He informed the audience that its 1-Gov.net platform facilitated the improved engagement between the federal government, its agencies and the people of the country.

Speaking on the role of the Federal Government in the digital age, Ilukwe, who was represented in the panel discussion by the Head of Marketing at Galaxy Backbone, Amara Nwankpa, informed that 1-Gov.net had about 4,000 nodes that provided connectivity to over 350 government ministries, departments and agencies.
“A key objective of 1-Gov.net is to facilitate efficient and effective service delivery to the citizens of the country. From prompt processing of travelers at the Immigrations’ desk or issuance of drivers’ licenses, to prompt payment of workers’ salaries, to efficient conduct of the Federal Executive Council deliberations, Galaxy Backbone is enhancing e-government and good governance in Nigeria,” Nwankpa said.

“We are also supporting the Petroleum Equalisation Fund to track the movement of petroleum products from the various depots in the country, facilitating accountability in ensuring the uniform pricing of these products across the nation”, he further said.

He stated that the current initiatives on the 1-Gov.net platform most relevant to the social media discussions were the Government Contact Centre (GCC) and the National Single Window Portal (SWP), which will provide electronic channels for citizens and other stakeholders to access information and services being provided by the various ministries, departments and agencies.

Galaxy Backbone is managing the execution of these soon-to-be launched initiatives on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Communications Technology.

In addition, he explained that Galaxy Backbone’s services also help improve government’s internal efficiency, helping it to be more effective and responsive. He listed several initiatives carried out to include the Electronic Documents Management System/Council Chambers Automation System (EDMS/CCAS) that is transforming the mode of preparing council memos from manual to digital; and the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) that has revolutionised the payroll system to reduce incidence of fraud and time spent on computation of workers’ salaries.

Social Media Week is a worldwide event exploring the social, cultural and economic impact of social media. According to the organisers, the event would help people and organisations connect through collaboration, learning and the sharing of ideas and information. The Social Media Week in Lagos brought together thought leaders, creative people, entrepreneurs and everyday citizens from Nigeria to explore how people and organisations could connect with one another to share new ideas and information.