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FG to Review National Archives Act
12.01.2004
Federal Government yesterday disclosed that plans are underway to review the National Archives Act of 1992 to bring it into conformity with present changing realities. Information and National Orientation Minister, Chief Chukwuemeka Chikelu, disclosed this in Abuja while declaring open a pictorial exhibition and lecture to mark the 50th Anniversary of National Archives of Nigeria. He said the review of the legislation pertaining to the Archives would ensure its conformity with global best practices under a democratic culture. The minister, who traced the establishment of the National Archives to late Professor Kenneth Onwuka Dike, stressed that the present government was desirous of making the National Archives function effective in the acquisition and preservation of records, promotion of scholarly research and management of national records and reference services. To this end, he added that, Federal Government would soon embark on the digitalisation of the National Archives in order to ensure efficiency and easier storage and retrieval of information. Chikelu noted that when implemented, the digitalisation would usher in an era of less cumbersome operations for the teeming populace and make archival services available at their door-steps, adding that "we are committed to ensure this transformation as a direct need of our globalised world and the requirements of a true democratic society, which must guarantee free access to information." Besides, the existing National Archives in Ibadan, Enugu and Kaduna, Chikelu disclosed government's decision to establish an Archival office in Maiduguri to cater for the interest of the North-eastern part of the country. He said the construction work on the building had been completed, adding that the necessary logistics to enable commencement of operations would soon be concluded. The minister explained that National Archives occupy a central position with the overall strategy designed to radically improve the information landscape of the country. He noted that for this to be possible, "the information management landscape must reflect policies, standards, people and system that clearly assign best global practices in the process of access to information." "The fundamental principles of good governance are based on openness and trust, supported by a strong information infrastructure," he said, noting that "we remain committed to the attainment of this standard in line with our current democratic tenets." Meanwhile, Professor Folarin Shyllon, who delivered the anniversary lecture, described National Archives as an indispensable instrument of nation-building and national development. He called on government to accept that open public archives are a necessary element of democratic governance and accountability. Shyllon decried poor funding, inadequate manpower and insufficient infrastructure as the bane of the National Archives and called for measures to rescue them in order to meet the objectives for which they were set up.
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