The Ekiti State Government Website – www.ekitistate.gov.ng – has emerged the number one most visited state government website in the country, and ranked 298th most visited site in the country; barely three weeks after the launch of its new digital media channels. According to the latest rating by Alexa, (Alexa.com) one of the Web’s most authoritative traffic monitoring websites, Ekiti State website is followed by Lagos, (Lagosstate.gov.ng) which is second on the list and ranked 644 nationally. The rating was at March 18, 2012. According to the report, the State website recorded an average 606.12 visitors per day within the last two weeks. Aside Nigeria, the countries where the most visitors to the website come from include UK, USA, India, Canada, Germany, South Africa, Israel, Ireland and Malaysia. The website currently receives visitors from over 73 countries and all continents. Top ten cities from where visitors visit the site are Lagos, London, Abuja, New Delhi, Port Harcourt, Ilorin, New York, Houston, Dublin and Mumbai. Mr. Olayinka Oyebode, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Ekiti State, , in a statement in Ado-Ekiti, described the achievement as impressive, because as at December 22, 2011, the state website was not ranked in Nigeria. He stated that the website became the second most visited state government website and 1,083rd most visited site in the country, following the launch of the State’s new digital media channels on February 29, 2012. “What is most impressive however is that in less than three weeks after the launch of these channels, the state government website has become the most visited state government website in Nigeria and one of the top 300 most visited sites in Nigeria, a truly enviable feat indeed;” Oyebode said. Dr. Anderson Uvie-Emegbo, Digital Media Consultant to the state, said the state’s march towards digital leadership was on track. He revealed that over 39,303 pages have been viewed on the website in the last 16 days alone, adding that each visitor to the website spent an average of 6 minutes and 36 seconds reading 3.58 pages per visit. “Particularly impressive is the fact that over 42 per cent of the website’s visitors are returning visitors. One of the most visited pages on the website is the Contact Us page. On this page are listed the official email addresses and mobile numbers of members of the State Executive Council. “The page also has a functionality that enables messages to be sent directly from the website to the email addresses of the executives. The email addresses are already configured on the blackberry phones of these executives. This is a clear demonstration that given the right support, digital media can enhance good governance”, Uvie-Emegbo reiterated. Oyebode said beyond emerging as the number one state government website, lies a greater task of using the website and all the other digital media channels of the state to achieve Governor Kayode Fayemi’s goal of improved accountability, transparency and probity in the affairs of the government of Ekiti State. According to Oyebode, Governor Fayemi is particularly interested in ensuring that the state website enhances participatory governance by allowing the people of the state make inputs on how government is run in a bid to ensure a better and more prosperous Ekiti State.
Ekiti State Government Website’s Most Visited State Government Website
