State govts struggle to embrace digital communication

In this series, I examine efforts made by some state governments in the South-West to embrace digital communication

The online communication platforms of some south-western states may have suffered neglect, as they struggle to keep in touch with the digital exploits of the public.

  

Investigation shows that the Oyo State Government may be leading the region in terms of the ineffective handling of digital communication, which has become a challenge among several state governments.

The state government, for instance, has not updated its Twitter page – @oyostategovt – in the past two years. The last update on the page was posted on February 24, 2013 when it reported the government’s plan to donate 100 buses for public commuting.

On February 15, the government went on Facebook to alert the public on the activities of fraudsters, who were allegedly soliciting funds from individuals to support the re-election of Gov. Abiola Ajimobi. The alert has remained the last update on the platform.

Its website may lack depth and good resolution, yet it feeds visitors with current events. The dormant social media accounts are also linked to the site – oyostate.gov.ng – to make the platforms visible.

On the other hand, the Lagos State Government, considering its significance in technological advancement, is expected to prove that a political establishment can compete in online branding. Little wonder, no state matches its performance on social media.

Its Twitter page – @followlasg – is the most active Nigerian government-managed account. Its following stands at 106,000, about 73,400 points above Aso Rock’s 22,600 followers.

The state government’s Facebook page also has 193, 600 likes. On Twitter, it has more followers than any other state government in the country. Unlike a few states which are either not on social media or have abandoned theirs, it tweets and updates regularly.

What may be lacking on the platforms, however, is a balance in the use of texts, photographs and videos.

While there is a growing preference for a combination of info-graphics, texts, photographs and videos, Lagos State Government’s social media managers may have opted for text only. Lagos is also one of the few states that have signed up on YouTube and, perhaps, the only one that has made a good use of the channel to communicate its activities to the public. 

The only setback is its inability to draw much traffic to its channel. With its not-too-pleasing lagosstate.gov.ng, the government may also be several points behind others in terms of resolution, content and functionality, the site does not appear to give a good impression about the government. 

For instance, the executive page, which captures the profiles of Gov. Akinunmi Ambode and his deputy, Dr. Idiat Adebule, took several attempts before it loaded when our correspondent visited the site on Wednesday. The media page was not accessible at all.

Visitors who pay attention to the entertainment aspect of the Internet may not find the Lagos State Government’s website a pleasant place to spend much time. Due to what appears to be the poor use of photographs and old-design, not many people may score its visual appeal an average mark.

Also, the Osun State Government may have stretched what is lacking in lagossate.gov.ng – entertainment – beyond limit. Visitors to osun.gov.ng are received by a cluster of animations and photographs. That may have betrayed the seriousness of the page.

For those who have never visited Osun State, its portal is a useful contact with the history of the state and the entire Yorubaland. The site examines major towns in the state with a view to highlight their historical and tourist relevance.  

In terms of updates on current issues, the site may have fallen short of expectations. And visitors may be bored by historical facts and information on the state’s functionaries.

The site is functional in terms of social media plug-ins. On Twitter and Facebook, Osun State Government is followed by 3,299 and 10,262 Internet users respectively. That may not be bad in relative to other states.

Osun claims to be the first state that has a mobile app. The app is, according to the site, a visitor’s guide to life in the state. The app appears to be the most distinct feature of its online engagement.