LASGEMS Service Provider Hails Tinubu’s Innovation, Urges Lagos Govt To Restore Project

• LASGEMS was introduced by President Tinubu when he was Lagos governor.

• Applied Services Limited was exclusively contracted as service provider for the project.

• However, the statutory legacy solution was surprisingly replaced by what has been described as a “failed system” in 2016, disrupting the evolving unique system.

Eko Hot Blog reports that Mr. Yomi Erogbogbo, the Managing Director of Applied Services Limited (APPSERV), a company exclusively contracted as Service Provider for the Lagos State Government Education Management Systems (LASGEMS), has hailed President Bola Tinubu for introducing the innovative digital systems for schools in Lagos.

In a statement shared with Eko Hot Blog, Mr. Erogbogbo also congratulated the president for the unanimous decision of the Supreme Court that upheld his victory in the February 25 election.

The LASGEMS service provider recalled how Tinubu, who served as Lagos governor from May 1999 – May 2007, introduced the education management tool from the 2005/2006 academic year.

He noted that LASGEMS evolved and was subsequently set up by an act of parliament in 2007.

According to Erogbogbo, the tool was upgraded to an online real-time web-based system from 2009, strategically implemented, replacing manual registers with electronic registers and automated e-school ‘report cards’, transforming school staff to digital users.

President Bola Tinubu

He, however, lamented that “overlapping interests” and “forced project disputes” led to the introduction of the Lagos State Student Personal Identification Number (LASPIN) as a replacement for LASGEMS even though the existing system had no functional performance challenges reported.

“Today, LASGEMS growing benefits and political leverage would have been speaking loudly for Mr. President if the evolving legacy solution had not been interrupted in succession from 2010 by overlapping interests and systems creating undeserved forced project disputes, which include the $95 million grant-Eko Secondary Schools Education Project’s April 2015, stalled replication and replacement attempt as Eko project achievement, which resulted in a strange contract agreement demand for LASGEMS software intellectual property,” the LASGEMS service provider said.

“Though no known LASGEMS functional performance challenges reported, a LASPIN aberration was introduced in February 2016 on live television as a replacement and discontinuity of statutory LASGEMS.”

Erogbogbo stated that although an internal mediation in March 2019 was supposed to correct the “LASPIN aberration”, the Ministry of Education under Former Governor Akinwumi Ambode did not comply with the resolution before the end of the administration.

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and his predecessor, Akinwumi Ambode

He noted that the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu also reneged on the mediation in its first term, while threatening to disengage his company as LASGEMS service provider.

The service provider’s director also alleged that the LASGEMS legacy achievement was “tactically omitted” from Tinubu’s presidential campaign documentaries due to a misrepresentation of facts by the Lagos State Ministry of Education.

“The LASPIN interruption eventually resolved through internal mediation prayers by Ministry of Justice, approved in March 2019 by the Governor, but not duly complied with by Ministry of Education before end of tenure 2015/2019 administration,” Erogbogbo said.

“Whereas service contract technically subsists, the 2019/2023 education administration reneged on the mediation, unexpectedly threatening through Ministry of Justice to disengage with the service provider.

“The education ministry further misrepresented LASGEMS legacy achievement and tactically omitted it from the presidential campaign documentaries. Erogbogbo appreciates past efforts to resolve the dispute in August 2018 and October 2022 by His Excellency Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, but time inhibited for political exigencies.”

He, therefore, called on the Sanwo-led administration to ensure a timely resolution of the project dispute.

Erogbogbo noted that the current deputy governor, Obafemi Hamzat, negotiated and signed the contract agreement for government in 2009 as the Commissioner for Science and Technology.

“Erogbogbo appeals to the state government to timely resolve the project dispute, relieve service provider from painful personal and business consequences of painting success as failure, and the financial implications keeping faith with Mr. President and contractually maintaining safety of the statutory lifetime records. Either to continue with the exclusive service or opt for a formal closure indemnifying service provider of the lifetime records,” the statement continued.

“The matter is also before the tenth house of assembly as formally communicated to the Rt. Honourable Speaker in three follow-up acknowledged letters between June and September 2023 to conclude the intervention started by the ninth assembly in May 2023.

“The contract agreement was negotiated for government and signed by the current Deputy Governor in 2009 as the then Honourable Commissioner for Science and Technology.”

Highlighting the functions of LASGEMS, Erogbogbo said the tool incorporates identity management for schools and students, assigns unique lifetime Student Personal Identification Number (SPIN) to every student at first registration, and creates an electronic database of student records.

He said Section 5 of LASGEMS law has the following provisions: (a) maintain comprehensive database records of all students in the state public/private primary, junior and senior secondary school; (b) collect and maintain personal details of all students including contact information of parents and guardians/sponsors; (c) collate and update academic performance details, school attendance and disciplinary data per academic year; and (d) maintain and process any other information on pupils/students, parents and guardians for verification purposes only.

“Also of significance is section 9 of the law that makes government the clearing house for all transferring pupils/students in the state. This LASGEMS digitalised feature allows concerned schools conclude the transactions online and real-time in seconds with necessary approvals,” the LASGEMS service provider’s MD said.

“It minimises school fees debts and helps control abnormal admissions into higher school levels such as moving from primary school year four to the first year of a junior secondary school.

“LASGEMS ensures quality data, effective planning and monitoring tools, automated prudent management controls responsible for noticeable growing performance improvements by schools and students.

“Student tracking from class to class, school to school and enhanced external examination registrations resulting in significant annual savings by government.”

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