Veritatis Gaudium: Multidisciplinary Journal of Postgraduate Studies

Digital transformation is reshaping how governments organise authority, coordinate institutions, manage information, deliver services and account for administrative decisions, yet procuring digital infrastructure does not necessarily equate to digital governance. This article examines Nigeria’s digital-government transition as a governance architectural problem, focusing on how digitalisation affects institutional authority, leadership, coordination, accountability and administrative responsibility. The study adopted a qualitative conceptual-analytical design based on an integrative literature review with documentary analysis. Peer-reviewed journals and authoritative Nigerian legislative, policy and regulatory documents were examined and thematically synthesised; the theories used for the study are Digital Era Governance and Institutional Theory. The analysis identifies five interconnected challenges: digital expansion without equivalent institutional reintegration; the transition from hierarchical leadership towards institutional orchestration; increasing technical transparency alongside more complex accountability; diffusion of administrative responsibility through digitally mediated and automated decision-making; and persistent weaknesses in interoperability and inter-agency coordination. The article argues that Nigeria’s digital transformation will remain institutionally incomplete where technological modernisation proceeds without corresponding changes in authority, process ownership, data governance and accountability. The article recommends a governance architecture centred on accountable digital leadership, well-defined processes, governed interoperability, oversight and citizen-centred accountability and compensation. The article contributes to digital governance by repositioning digital transformation from a predominantly technological reform agenda to an institutional Public Administration problem.

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