The Lagos State government, on Tuesday, organised a two-day training programme for Records Officers in the civil service, in line with its policy direction of continuously enhancing service delivery.
The training programme tagged “Designing The Records and Archives For Efficient and Effective Service Development” was held at the Lagos State Records and Archive Bureau (LASRAB) House, Magodo, Lagos to train Records Officers on the importance of proper record-keeping.
Flagging off the training, the Head of Service, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Establishment, Training and Pensions, Mr. Biodun Bamgboye, stated that the essence of the exercise was to train Records Officers on international best practices to ensure that they provide the best in managing the records of the State.
The HoS added that the establishment of LASRAB was to provide an overall direction for the management of Government records as well as the standard procedures for its operations.
According to him “Over the years, a lot of vital records pertaining to our existence as a State had been generated and, unfortunately, most inappropriately managed within the traditional paper-based filing system. The result is that records maps, statutory agreements, legislative enactments, photographs and other relevant documents required for policy formation and orderly planning are lost. This situation, no doubt has impacted negatively on our development and the preservation of our patrimony”.
He opined that the training will ensure that the daily generated records of various MDAs are properly preserved and retrieved with ease, such that the Records Officers in MDAs are able to deliver the required level of services effectively and efficiently.
Muri-Okunola, however, called on record creators, holders, public and private agencies, development partners, families and individuals to donate records of enduring value to LASRAB so as to meet the needs of a Lagos Smart City.
In his remarks, the Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, who was represented by the Bureau Secretary, Mrs. Olusesan Ismael said that a well-organised records management system enables an organisation and government to find information easily, thereby propelling the performance of statutory responsibility.
He underscored the need to train Record Officers to skill-up their performance to achieve the goals of Government as enshrined in the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda of the present administration.
The Director-General of Lagos State Records and Archives Bureau (LASRAB), Mrs. Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola, in her address stated that the Bureau was established with the responsibilities for permanent custody, regulation and control of records and archives of the Government of Lagos State, the Local Governments and other archives or historical records of entities operating within the State or outside.
While noting that the importance of record-keeping cannot be overemphasised as it provides data for planning and policy creation, Adebiyi-Abiola stated that during the Bureau’s sensitisation visits to various MDAs, it was observed that the Records Officers needed to be trained periodically on the international best practices of preserving records. hence the essence of the training programme.
In her words, “it is important to state that the Registry of any organisation is the heart of that Organisation and the Record Officers are the people who are expected to ensure that the heart keeps on beating by performing their duties effectively and efficiently”.
The DG reiterated that the objective of the seminar is also to awaken the consciousness of record officers and archivists on the importance of proper records keeping, intimate them on best practices in record and archives management and help the participants manage complexities and challenges inherent in records management.
