C’River wins at 2026 Nigeria egovt excellence awards

Cross River State has won eight awards at the 2026 Nigeria eGovernment Excellence Awards, held at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.

The awards recognised the state government’s digital policy initiatives, eGovernment service delivery, mobile government solutions, digital innovation and technology-driven revenue administration.

Among those recognised were Governor Bassey Otu; Commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation, Associate Professor Justin Beshel; Cross River State Government; MyCross River App; and the state’s technology partner, Nugi Technologies Nigeria Limited.

Otu received the Governor of the Year Award for Digital Revenue and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) Innovation.

Beshel was also honoured as the state Digital Policy Leader of the Year, while the state government received the Best State Mobile Government Initiative Award and the Most Improved State eGovernment Service Deployment Award.

The MyCross River App won two awards — GovTech Innovation of the Year and Best Government Payment Solution Award.

Nugi Technologies Nigeria Limited, the state’s technology partner, was recognised as E-Government Technology Partner of the Year and E-Government Startup of the Year.

The awards, according to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, reflected the administration’s efforts to deploy technology in governance, revenue administration, payment systems and public service delivery.

The ministry said the recognition of Governor Otu for Digital Revenue and IGR Innovation was an acknowledgement of the administration’s use of technology to strengthen revenue administration and improve the ease of doing business in the state.

It added that the award to Beshel as State Digital Policy Leader of the Year recognised his efforts towards providing policy direction and institutional support for the state’s digital transformation agenda.

The ministry said the awards for mobile government and eGovernment service deployment also highlighted the state’s efforts to use technology to improve access to public services.

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At the centre of the state’s digital transformation programme is the MyCross River App, which provides digital platforms for government services and payment-related transactions.

The ministry said its partnership with Nugi Technologies had also contributed to the development and deployment of digital solutions for government operations and citizen engagement.

The state government said it would continue to expand digital public services in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), while strengthening technology-driven systems for efficiency, transparency and sustainable development.

The Commissioner for Science and Technology, Justin Beshel, congratulated Governor Otu on the recognitions, saying the awards reflected the administration’s determination to place technology at the centre of governance and development in Cross River State.