By Wilbet Ijeoma
The Delta State Government has broken new ground in information and communication technology (ICT) as it is set to unveil a new homemade digital social media platform, Delta Chat, as part of its reforms in digital technology.
This was revealed by the Executive Assistant to the Governor on New Media, Mr Felix Ofou alongside the Delta State Webmaster, Mr. Louis Zuokumor Osiobe during a media chat on 6th November 2026 in New Media office, Anwai road, Asaba Delta State, as an imperative to bring Deltans up to speed on the digital activities and infrastructure of Delta State.
Speaking to journalists on the digital presence of Delta State, Ofou stated that the Delta State official website, https://deltastate.gov.ng, is a central gateway connecting citizens, businesses, investors and other stakeholders with government information, institutions and public services. He noted that sometime ago, Delta State came third in website ranking of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
In addition, Osiobe, who was appointed by the Governor of Delta State, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori in 2024 as the sole Webmaster of Delta State and also a Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on New Media, noted that Delta State won the prestigious award of the best state in cyber security two years ago which is an indication that the state is protecting her digital infrastructure against external attacks which he estimated at about 70,000 monthly and has reduced to 30,000 monthly, with 75,000 reach annually, underscoring the incredible traffic on the site.
He outlined some of the striking features of Delta State website which includes AI-powered Digital Assistant, Human Support Referral,.Read-Aloud Accessibility, and text-to-speech functionality for visually impaired readers, designed to improve citizens’ access to public information and public services.
Speaking further, Osiobe reiterated that the Delta Chat is an indigenous online social networking platform developed to provide an integrated digital community where users can connect, communicate and share content.
According to him, the platform brings together familiar social media and communication features commonly associated with Facebook, X and Instagram such as text based and visual based contents, instant texts and multimedia messaging, creation of groups and fora amongst others, offering users multiple interactive tools within a single, consolidated online environment.
“For the very first time we’re not going to be consumers of technology but creators of one;” Osiobe confirmed, noting that Delta State is not only embracing the digital revolution but also creating opportunities for homegrown technology development and indigenous participation in the digital economy.
Responding to journalists on the sustainability of the new media platform considering the fact that some of its likes have come and gone on account of lack of sustainable development by successive administrations, stiff competition, rewards and monetization advantages posed by Facebook, Instagram and X handle, Osiobe dismissed such threats, maintaining that Delta State is the original owner of the platform and has plans for partnership in terms of deals to start rewarding participants on the platform with dividends similar to Facebook monetization.
According to him, the homemade media platform offers an alternative when Facebook or other global social networks shut down. He also noted that Delta Chat offers a rebated data consumption rate unlike Facebook, and is in the process of hosting an online market place where Deltans can market homemade goods and services.
