By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
Lagos State Government has directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to institutionalise the use of data analytics in policy formulation, performance management and public service delivery, as part of measures to deepen accountability and strengthen governance across the state.
The directive was issued at the Lagos State Audit Service Commission’s quarterly strategy workshop held recently, where senior government officials emphasised that evidence-based decision-making had become indispensable to improving institutional effectiveness in the public service.
The workshop, themed “Data Relevance, Data Distribution and Data-Driven Analytics in the Workplace,” drew management and staff of the commission who examined how data could be harnessed to enhance transparency, human resource management and organisational performance.
Declaring the workshop open on behalf of the Head of Service, the Permanent Secretary, Public Service Office, Sunkanmi Oyegbola, described data as a strategic asset that should drive governance in an increasingly digital public sector.
She urged MDAs to strengthen the quality of data they generate and utilise, while embracing digital technology and innovation to improve planning, policy implementation and service delivery.
Oyegbola stressed that public institutions must prioritise accurate and reliable data, maintain data integrity and invest in continuous capacity building to support evidence-based decision-making, noting that data remained central to modern governance.
Earlier in her remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Audit Service Commission, Oluwakemi Garbadeen-Adedeji, explained that the workshop formed part of the commission’s broader strategy to build the capacity of officers responsible for managing and analysing official data within the state’s audit ecosystem.
She said the initiative was designed to strengthen transparency and accountability while improving the management of human resources and institutional performance.
According to Garbadeen-Adedeji, the workshop was organised to enhance officers’ capacity in the effective management and utilisation of data to support transparency, accountability and excellence in human resource management across the state audit ecosystem.
She urged participants to apply the knowledge gained from the training to improve operational efficiency, performance monitoring and service delivery within their respective responsibilities.
Also speaking at the event, the Permanent Secretary, Civil Service Commission, Wasiu Agbabiaka, called on public servants to embrace a data-driven culture by integrating technology and evidence-based analysis into planning and performance management.
He noted that the growing complexity of public administration required institutions to move beyond intuition and rely instead on credible data to guide decision-making and improve governance outcomes.
The workshop featured technical sessions on data relevance, distribution, analytics and dashboard development, during which participants received hands-on training on data visualisation and analytical tools to address workplace challenges, monitor institutional performance and support informed management decisions.
