FCT minister tasks workers on effective records management

MINISTER of Federal Capital Territory, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, has urged workers of FCT Administration as well as public servants in the country to cultivate the habit of maintaining effective and sustainable information management system in government business.

Bello, who spoke during the commemoration of 2017 International Archives Day in Abuja, said promoting effective records management system would enable the FCT administration in particular and Nigeria as a whole to achieve good governance and accountability, thereby, engendering national development.

The minister, whose message was delivered by the FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr Babatope Ajakaiye, said: “As we celebrate this year’s edition of the International Archives Day, I urge us, particularly all staff of the FCT Administration, to imbibe the spirit of promoting effective and sustainable records management system in our various SDAs.

“It is only by so doing that the FCT Administration and the nation at large can attain the long-cherished global aspiration for good governance and accountability”, he said.

Bello, has accordingly promised to strengthen FCT Archives and History Bureau for excellent service delivery, saying the establishment of the institution in 2005 by the FCT Administration underscored the top priority it placed on records keeping.

He explained that it was in appreciation of the importance of proper records-keeping and archives management that the FCT Archives and History Bureau was established in 2005 with the responsibility to collect, collate, preserve and manage archival records of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

He added that the International Archives Day, which is celebrated annually, provides the unique opportunity for co-operation and collaboration among nations and relevant stakeholders for information sharing.

He said the theme of this year’s celebration: “Archives, Citizenship and Interculturalism”, offered a positive moral judgment and commitment not just for civil servants, but also for the entire citizenry to come to terms with the historical importance of preserving the collective memory as a people.

Acting Director of FCT Archives and History Bureau, Ms Ceril Jogai, said the commemoration of International Archives Day was in line with the universal declaration on Archives, which gave special recognition on the vital role of archives in fostering administrative accountability, transparency and protection of individual rights.

She said the annual event marked an important milestone in the annals of the FCT administration, as it offered the administration and the residents the unique opportunity to carefully reflect on the ways and manners official records were handled.