Group calls for funding, effective management of archival records

THE Society of Nigerian Archivists (SNA) has called on government at all levels, corporate organisations and individuals to ensure an effective organisation, funding and management of the archives and records.

The appeal was contained in a statement signed by the President, SNA, Professor Olutayo Adesina to commemorate the 2018 edition of the International Archives Day, holding today.

June 9 of every year was a date instituted by the International Council on Archives (ICA), an international non-governmental organisation and dedicated to the preservation of the integrity of archives worldwide.

According to the statement, an international conference to mark this year’s edition would take place in Yaoundé, Cameroon in November 2018 under the theme “Archives: Governance, Memory and Heritage.”

ICA had, since its inauguration in 1948, ensured that countries of the world remained dedicated to records management and preservation. Its members are spread across 199 countries and territories, including Nigeria.

“Globally, the Archives Day is observed to raise awareness of the importance of archives, promote their protection and free access to archives. This is a laudable goal that has been achieved by several countries of the world.

“Since the 1950s, Nigeria had been an enthusiastic supporter of the vision of the ICA. Over the years, however, records keeping and the management of our records and archives had fallen to its lowest ebb, either because of a lackadaisical approach to this important task on the part of government or due to the acute economic crisis facing the country.

“Our archives had been neglected through poor funding and a visit to many of our archives would reveal the effect of the neglect on important documents and equipment. Archivists and record managers are poorly paid and do not have access to adequate and qualitative local and international training.

“As we edge closer to the end of the second decade of the 21st Century, Nigeria must rediscover the relevance of our past records, archives, record managers and archivists for our future growth. We must begin to understand how to leverage on these to ensure that this country moves into the future as a cohesive and vibrant nation.

“Thus, while encouraging our archives and records managers a happy Archives Day, we must also go beyond and over the call of duty to help preserve the records of the past. This patriotic task is being handled with the required skill and zeal despite our lean and dwindling resources,” the statement read.