Ekiti State Government website, www.ekitistate.gov.ng is best in the country in terms of effectiveness and management, according to the Nigerian Governors Forum ranking for 2013.
According to the new web ranking released by the Nigeria Governors Forum and made available to all state governors at its last meeting, the Ekiti State Government website is followed by Cross River State Government website, which came second and the Kano State Government website which was ranked third best in the country.
Other state websites ranked within the top ten include: Ogun (fourth); Oyo (fifth); Bauchi (sixth); Bayelsa (seventh); Adamawa (eighth); Abia (ninth) and Nassarawa (tenth).
The Ekiti 3.0 six-channel website which was ranked second in 2012 was adjudged the best for its rich content, superb visual resolution, cross compatibility with mac and windows as well as its accessibility by major browsers, according to the report.
The NGF’s commissioned panel of experts had in their analysis scored the 36 state websites in the following areas: Technical, design, navigation, content, and engagement. Other key points were social media, feedback mechanism, FAQ, sitemaps, links, graphics, logo, language , load time, visual, and validation.
Ekiti State website www.ekitistate.gov.ng was scored 268 to clinch the first position, while Cross Rivers State website and Kano State website were scored 264 and 252 respectively to clinch the second and third positions.
According to the scoring criteria, the landing page load time of the Ekiti website is described as reasonable and marked excellent while homepage graphics and text are also well rated. “Easily navigable, the home button is easy to find, the main sections of the site are accessible all through while the search engine is logically placed on the page layout. “ the release added.
On compliance with web standards,the results emphasized that the Ekiti State Government website complies with world wide web consortium (w3c), accessibility WebAim and the assessment of its design and appearance show that the entire page layout of the website appear within the browser’s window.
The website’s purpose is rated as excellent as it is said to be clearly defined; the logo and graphics were also rated as excellent.
To the assessor’s delight were the provision made for feedback as visitors to the website can contact the State Governor, his Deputy and other members of the cabinet by email or short message service (sms). This, no doubts, supports Governor Fayemi’s claims on participatory government and e-governance.
The website which was launched in February, 2012 also has links to social media networks such as the State’s facebook, twitter, google+, and flicker among others.
www.ekitistate.gov.ng has contents that include information about Ekiti state, investment opportunities, download page for the Governor’s speeches, job and scholarship application forms. It also contains laws passed by the State House of Assembly, contact email and phone numbers of Executive council members, Permanent secretaries as well as information on the Legislature and the Judiciary.
Last year, world web ranking site, alexa.com ranked ekitistate.gov.ng as the best and most visited State Government website in Nigeria.
Reacting, Governor Fayemi who lauded the state’s ICT team for their efforts, said the Information and Communication technology has helped the government become more accountable.
Last modified: March 3, 2013