FROM EMERGENCY RESPONSE TO SYSTEMIC REFORM: E-GOVERNANCE AND POST COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTH DELIVERY IN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

In this study, the role of e-governance as a strategy for delivering public health in Ogun State, Nigeria, today and after the COVID 19 pandemic is explored. The research is framed within the Governance Network Theory (GNT) to understand how an emergency of war and digital has caused systemic reform in health service provision. The study was based on a qualitative research design and it surveyed four hundred (400) residents in Ogun State with the use of structured questionnaires data which was analyzed using descriptive statistics. It was found that there was high public approval of transparency (Mean=4.02), low citizen participation (Mean=3.25) and communication clarity (Mean=3.10). The key challenges included poor internet access and lack of digital literacy (Mean = 3.85) and 61 percent of respondents was strongly in favor of institutionalizing of digital health tools after the pandemic (Mean = 4.21). Although Ogun State stood out for its impressive dynamism in embracing digital governance during the crisis, the program highlights that lack of inclusive engagement, infrastructure, and participatory mechanisms, weakened its effectiveness. The recommendations are upgrade of digital infrastructure, reinforcement user stakeholder interaction, capacity building, and institutionalization of e-governance through inclusive policies. In the end, the research takes e-governance not only as a means to a crisis response mechanism, but also as a path toward sustainable, accountable, and inclusive public health governance in a developing context.