The secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, has made a case for secure, scalable inclusive data ecosystem to be prioritised in Nigeria.
He made the call at the PIQL Nigeria Public Sector Breakfast meeting, which was held on Tuesday in Abuja and focused on “Building Nigeria’s Future: Data Preservation and Digital Economy.”
Senator Akume, represented by the acting director, Economic, Monitoring and Multilateral Research in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), commended the partnership between PIQL and the National Archives, saying it laid the foundation for a secure, accessible and future-proof national data repository.
“It aligns seamlessly with the national objective of enhancing government efficiency through digitisation,” he stated.
In her keynote address, the director of National Archives of Nigeria, Mrs Evelyn Odigboh, said the organization is the guardian of our culture, our administrative records and the evidence of our shared journey as a people.
“These records are not relics of the past, they are living resources for governance, justice, research, innovation and accountability. A nation without archives is like a person without memory – unable to chart a clear path to the future. This is why data preservation is not a luxury; it is a necessity.
“Today, however, we live in the digital age, where the challenges and opportunities of preservation are greater than ever. Records are no longer only paper in boxes; they are emails, digital photographs, databases, social media content, and government e-services.
“If we fail to preserve these properly, we risk creating what some have called ‘a digital black hole’ an era in which future generation will look back and find little evidence of who we were, how we lived and how we governed.
“But if we succeed in preserving and protecting these digital assets, we will equip Nigeria with the raw material it needs for the digital economy.
The special guest and director-general of National Council for Arts and Culture, Nze Obi Asika, in an interview with journalists, welcomed the meeting, saying the preservation and management of Nigeria’s heritage and culture should be a priority.
He noted the role of technology in the preservation of national heritage.
“We set up something called the Council for Creative Technology Futures because we are very, very engaged in technology. And technology is already what is animating everything anyway, no matter what sector you’re in.
Earlier, the chairman of PIQL, Nze Keazor, said the engagement with senior public service stakeholders was really about discussing the whole environment of data preservation, data management, data integrity and its deployment.
“Nigeria’s aim of achieving a trillion dollar economy by 2030 is really about tools and solutions towards national development and to the extent that data is an important part of that process,” he said.
