…as Aiyedatiwa launches AI-powered personnel, pension management system
By Mike Adeyemi
The Ondo State Government has launched an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered digital system designed to automate personnel administration, retirement and pension processes as part of efforts to modernise the state’s civil service.
The initiative, christened “Ondo AI,” is expected to provide government with real-time access to personnel information, improve administrative efficiency and enhance decision-making across the public service.
The Digital Human Resource Management System was launched at the Cocoa Conference Hall, Governor’s Office, Akure, by the Ondo State Governor, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan, described the initiative as a significant step towards replacing outdated analogue processes with a technology-driven system capable of meeting the demands of contemporary governance.
According to him, the development underscores the administration’s determination to ensure that Ondo State does not remain tied to manual processes when technology offers more efficient and transparent alternatives.
Governor Aiyedatiwa, while launching the platform, said the initiative was not merely about deploying technology but about changing the way government thinks, works and serves the people.
The governor noted that information and data had become indispensable to effective administration, stressing that speed and accuracy increasingly determine the quality of government decisions.
“We are living in an age in which information is power, data is an essential resource, and speed and accuracy presently define effective administration,” he said.
Aiyedatiwa said the state could no longer operate a 21st-century public service with analogue systems designed for another era.
“We cannot expect the 21st-century public service to operate an analogue system indefinitely, with systems designed principally for another era. This is the technological era. We cannot remain and be working with an analogue system,” the governor said.
He explained that the system would improve the quality of government decisions, noting that accurate information was critical to effective leadership.
“Leadership is about decision-making. And every leader takes decisions based on the information at hand. If the information is accurate, the decision will be near accurate. And if the information is inaccurate, the decision will be false,” he said.
The governor, however, cautioned that technology alone could not transform institutions without the integrity of those operating the system.
He therefore charged officers responsible for the platform to ensure that only accurate information was uploaded, stressing that the quality of government decisions would depend largely on the integrity of the data entered into the system.
“The integrity of the information entered into the system must be sacrosanct,” he said, urging officers to carry out their responsibilities with professionalism and integrity.
According to him, the initiative is anchored on his administration’s digitisation policy aimed at simplifying processes, reducing bureaucratic bottlenecks, improving institutional memory and bringing government closer to the people.
“For us, digitisation is not technology for its own sake. It is a means of simplifying processes, reducing unnecessary bureaucratic bottlenecks, improving institutional memory and bringing government closer to the people,” Aiyedatiwa said.
He added that public servants deserved a personnel management system that respected their time, recognised their service and enabled them to concentrate on their responsibilities.
The governor urged workers across the state civil service to embrace the innovation, acknowledging that its implementation might come with adjustments and challenges.
“I urge every public servant to embrace this innovation. There may be adjustments and challenges along the way, but reform is never achieved by standing still. We have to keep moving,” he said.
Earlier, the Head of Service, Chief Segun Odusanya, said the initiative represented a major milestone in the state government’s efforts to modernise the public service and make it responsive to contemporary governance demands.
Odusanya said the public service remained the machinery through which government policies and programmes were translated into tangible benefits for the people, adding that its effectiveness depended largely on how human resources were managed, developed and deployed.
He noted that personnel administration had depended substantially on manual records and traditional procedures which, despite serving the service over the years, could no longer adequately address the increasing complexity of government operations.
He said the digital platform would strengthen personnel records and administrative processes, support workforce planning, facilitate timely decision-making and reduce delays associated with traditional procedures.
According to him, the system would provide management with a comprehensive picture of the state’s human resources, including workers’ deployment, competencies, career progression and areas requiring further development.
He urged public servants to maintain the accuracy and integrity of personnel information while ensuring confidentiality, data protection and security.
Demonstrating the platform, the Managing Director of SmartApps IT Limited, Godwin Odoma, said the system would automate civil service administration, payroll management, retirement processing and pension migration.
Odoma explained that the platform contains comprehensive records of civil servants, including photographs, appointment details, promotion letters, academic qualifications, complaints and other relevant documents, which authorised officials can access instantly.
He said the system would automatically alert the government when a worker approaches retirement, while civil servants could use the self-service platform to determine the exact number of days remaining before their retirement.
“With the self-service application, you don’t have any reason to say you don’t know when you are going to retire,” Odoma said.
He added that workers could also access their monthly payslips through the platform, while the Office of the Head of Service could obtain information on the number of workers due for retirement in any particular month.
Odoma said the system was also designed to eliminate delays in pension payments by ensuring a seamless transition from active service to retirement without unnecessary gaps.
He further disclosed that the automation had positioned Ondo State to meet the required Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs) under the World Bank’s HOPE-GO programme, where automation and transparency are key requirements.
He urged civil servants to scan the relevant code or visit the Google Play Store to download the OndoPay application, enter their CS number and begin using the platform.
Those present at the event included the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Taiwo Fasoranti; Chief of Staff, Prince Segun Omojuwa; members of the State Executive Council; labour leaders; Permanent Secretaries and other accounting officers.