Restricted Technical Report RP/1988-1989/VII.2.1 NIGERIA

National information policies and infrastructures

Records management and national archives in Nigeria

by J. van Albada P. Bower

Serial N o . F M R / I P S / U I S / 8 9 / 1 1 7

il [S 1

1

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Paris, 1989

N I G E R I A

RECORDS MANAGEMENT AND NATIONAL ARCHIVES IN NIGERIA

by J. van Albada P. Bower

Report prepared for the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco)

U N E S C O

Technical Report RP/1988-1989/VII.2.1 FMR/IPS/UIS/89/117(Albada & Bower)

29 September 1989 © Unesco 1989 Printed in France

The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout the report do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of Unesco concerning the legal status of any country,territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning its frontiers or boundaries.

1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Map of Nigeria ' • ii Foreword iii

I RECORDS MANAGEMENT 1 A . Introduction 1 B . Main Findings 1

General 1 Consultations and Inspections i 4

C . Summary Conclusions 6

II NATIONAL ARCHIVES 8 A . Introduction 8 B . Field Report 8

Organization 8 Housing 9 Technical Sections 9 Professional Standards 10

III RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE ACTION 11 A . Records Management 11

Legislation 11 National Archives Commission 11 Records Management Programme 12 Training 12 Implementation ' 13 Automation 13 Preservation 13

B . National Archives 14 General 14 Organization 14 Housing, Storage and Related Equipment 15 Other Equipment 15 Professional Standards 16 Training 17

C . International Action 18 Strategy 18 Immediate Action 18 Implementation and Funding 18

ANNEXES I Refresher Course 1 9 II Visits, Consultations 2 1 III Bibliography 24

11

M A P OF NIGERIA

NIGER

Sokoto | Katsind Kano Bomu

BENIN Niger KADUNAi Bauchi

\FCT Plateau

Kwara Gongola OYO

Ogu^^v

LAGOS^J

1 Ondo^v

L / Bendel

/ Benue

JANAM^RA) /

L iCross /River \ too/ \ /

^«4 Akwa\lqom Rivers

ATLANTIC OCEAN CAMEROUN

LAGOS seat of Headquarters FCT Federal Capital Territory (Abuja) O Y O seat of Zonal Branch (Ibadan) KADUNA seat of Zonal Branch (Kaduna) A N A M B R A seat of Zonal Branch (Enugu) Sokoto etc. Records Centres Katsina etc. Records Centres to be established

Ill

FOREWORD

The mission described in the present report was carried out from 15 April to 5 M a y 1989 at the request of the Government of Nigeria and was funded by Unesco under its Regular Programme for 1988-89. Negotiations among the International Council on Archives (ICA), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), and Nigerian officials during the last half of 1988 led to the dispatch in April 1989, of two archival experts to investigate and report on the state of records management and of the National Archives in Nigeria.

Specifically, M r Peter Bower was required to advise the National Archives of Nigeria on records management: in particular,

o participate in the survey of the existing central and provincial archives. Travel on the request of the host country to other cities of Nigeria.

o evaluate the existing records management system. o advise on the improvement of the actual system and, if necessary, propose a new system which

could be used in the whole country. o submit recommendations on the improvement of the system or the implementation of a new

records management system. M r Joan van Albada was required to advise the National Archives of Nigeria on the modernization

of archival services: in particular, o participate on the survey of the situation of archives in the country; o evaluate the need for modernization of archives; o identify the main problems and propose a strategy and plan; o submit a plan for the modernization of the Nigerian archival services and recommendations for

the follow-up of the mission.

The missions of the consultants were complementary, but not identical. The actual duties of the consultants were modified in the field to meet local conditions and realities. M r Bower focused his activities on the main thrust of his mission: records management in the Nigerian Government in Lagos. M r V a n Albada undertook the main responsibility of his mission - to study and report on the National Archives of Nigeria ~ but also toured through a number of branch and zonal offices of the National Archives.

The report, therefore, is in two parts, unified by the proposed active role of the National Archives in the archival continuum ranging from the creation of the record through a records management programme to final disposition of records of enduring value in the National Archives' system of repositories. The role of the National Archives as a focus in acquiring material from the private sector is not examined in detail, but it is taken as given that its existing legislative mandate and traditional activities in this field will be maintained and clarified.

It is suggested that the implementation of the proposed plans be monitored by Unesco in agreement with the national authorities.

O n e of the objectives of the mission only became clear during early discussions with senior staff of the National Archives, w h o regarded the meetings as having an important promotional aspect. Contacts with senior governmental officials, staff in the zonal offices of the Archives, and the media were viewed as an important part of the process of raising the profile of the Archives and building staff morale. News media interest in and coverage of the Unesco mission and the National Archives was quite extensive.

- 1 -

I RECORDS MANAGEMENT

A. INTRODUCTION

1. Organized societies depend on the transmission of information on a day-to-day basis among individuals and groups, and upon the transmission of information through time to succeeding generations. Current recorded information of all media enables the dissemination and perpetuation of the information and cumulative knowledge required for the functioning of modern societies from both administrative and cultural perspectives. Records are essential to the principle of managerial accountability. Records are also a unique and irreplaceable source of information without which the distinctively h u m a n creative and adaptive characteristics cannot flower to the fullest extent possible. Archives preserve the heart, mind, spirit, conscience, and m e m o r y of a nation, of a people, a community, and an individual. Even those w h o cannot hear, speak, read or write benefit from the preservation and use of current records and historical archives.

2. Accepted records management techniques extend a proven methodology for ensuring the economical, efficient, and effective access to current information required for timely and informed decision-making. W h e n it is an integral part of the archival continuum, good records management can enable the preservation of records essential for legal, financial, fiscal, administrative, and operational purposes, as well as for historical and cultural reasons.

3. A few definitions concerning records management are given below: Records Management-

Records management is used here to identify the early part of the archival process of managing recorded information, regardless of physical form or characteristics, from the point of creation to its controlled transfer to a records centre. The records may then be destroyed immediately if authorized, or held in inactive storage for a specified period of time, and then destroyed or transferred to archival vaults for indefinite retention. Records may also m o v e directly from the source agency to an archival vault if so approved under prescribed authority. Intermediate Retention:

Intermediate retention is the phase after a record has been transferred for storage in a records centre for a specified period of time by due process before destruction or transfer to an archival vault. Records Centre:

A records centre is a relatively low cost, controlled, and secure mass storage vault for inactive records which have not reached the point in time authorized for destruction or transfer to an archival vault. Archives:

Archives are records, regardless of physical form or characteristics, which are deemed to be of enduring value. Archives also refers to facilities designed to house permanently valuable records in a secure, environmentally controlled vault. Records stored in an archives may be open for general inspection or restricted according to legislation, policy, or arrangements m a d e with a private donor.

B. MAIN FINDINGS

General

4. The Nigerian Government has recently undergone a general reorganization as a result of recommendations from a commission for reform of the civil service. Each Ministry is to have three support departments in c o m m o n : Finance and Supplies; Planning, Research and Statistics; and Personnel. The remaining departments, up to five in number, will encompass the primary operational and programme delivery services of the Ministry. Responsibility for internal records management, or for the registries, is being transferred from Personnel departments to Planning, Research, and Statistics. The motives for reforming the civil service include the need for a more efficient, effective, and

- 2 -

responsive bureaucracy in the face of modern service demands along with the need for achieving any economies available in a time of fiscal restraint.

5. The Nigerian Administration is also in the process of moving the capital of the nation to Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, from Lagos in an orderly manner, partly for reasons of national unity by having the seat of government in a more central location within the 21 states which compose the country. The move is scheduled for completion by 1992 to coincide with the transfer of administrative authority to civilian rule.

6. The National Archives of Nigeria ( N A N ) was established in 1954. Enabling legislation, The Public Archives Ordinance, was passed in 1957. Three years later, Nigeria gained independence from Britain. The ordinance gave the Director of the Archives the power "to examine any archives which are in the custody of any public office, and [the Director] shall advise such office as to the care, custody and control thereof...." In view of the context of the time when the legislation was developed, it is not surprising that the ordinance conferred no power on the Director to compel Ministries to adhere to good records-keeping practices or to transfer records to the Archives. The legislation also established a National Archives Committee to advise the responsible Minister for issues relating to archives and to recommend the disposition of government records, among other matters. The Committee has not proven to be effective in meeting its mandate, and has been moribund for the last several decades.

7. The N A N takes responsibility for the archival records of all government Ministries, as well as parastatal organizations and the private sector of society. While the Archives concentrates on acquiring the inactive records of the "federal government, it also collects records created and received by State and local government authorities. Only two State governments have established the rudiments of their o w n archival programmes. Other State governments have expressed their intention or wish to establish their o w n archives in order to keep their records inside the State boundaries rather than consign them to the central archives.

8. In recognition of the need for the N A N to be close to the Ministries and administration which it serves, the headquarters were moved in 1987 to the capital city of Lagos from its traditional location at the University of Ibadan. A s of M a y , 1989, there were 585 employees with the National Archives: 69 archivists, 10 photographers, 7 technical officers, 75 sub-professionals, and 424 others. There are nine levels from the most junior archivist position to that of the Director's post ~ a rather elongated organizational structure, but consistent with the staff classification scheme for the civil service at large.

9. The annual budget of the National Archives over three years follows:

Nairn* (000) (000) (000)

Year Salaries Other Exp. Capital 1987 1,740.0 940.0 105.5 1988 1,710.0 941.6 1,460.0 1989 3,170.0 1,900.0 1,000.0

*7.50 Naira = US$1.00 (ca.) May, 1988.

10. The main archival holdings remain at Ibadan, which n o w houses about 3,050 linear metres of paper documents, exclusive of a variety of other archival media. This repository was completed in 1958, and has been full since 1965. A n extension is nearing completion which will approximately double the amount of storage space available in the near future.

11. Outside Ibadan, there are two branch offices of the N A N which hold archival and inactive records: Kaduna in the north and Enugu in the east. In addition, there are staffed locations or embryonic records centres which are best described as "expressions of intention" to provide fuller services when financial circumstances permit. Three of these offices are located in the west (staff levels are given in parentheses): Abeokuta, O g u n State (8), Akure, O n d o State (17), and Benin-City, Bendel State (27);

- 3 -

three are in the east: Port-Harcourt, Rivers State (15), Owerri, Imo State (20), and Calabar, Cross River State (15); and two in the north: Ilorin, Kwara State (16) and Sokoto, Sokoto State (17). The network being signalled by the existence of these repositories is in part a response to the cultural diversity of a country spread over a large territory, with strongly held regional ethnic traditions and customs, and more than 240 languages spoken with English as the official language.

12. The still predominantly rural population of Nigeria numbers between 105 and 115 million spread unevenly over 923,768 k m J of territory. A t current growth rates, the population is expected to double within the next 20 to 30 years, bringing major pressures to bear on social spending, education, and health care. About 75% of the population is considered to be functionally illiterate. Universal, compulsory primary education is a high priority for the administration. The nation experienced an oil b o o m from 1973 to 1981 which introduced severe distortions into the economy and contributed to a shift from a traditionally strong economic base in agriculture and mining. The overall per capita income, according to President Ibrahim Babingida, is n o w less than half of what it was a decade ago. The overall economy of Nigeria is under severe duress.

13. The Government includes 23 distinct Ministries and 10 institutions of Ministerial ranking with a total civil service of between 250-300 thousand. The largest Ministries, leaving aside the police and armed forces, are Internal Affairs (ca. 35?Q00) and Works and Housing (ca. 22,000). Apart from some of the special commissions and bureaux, the smaller agencies run under 1,000 civil servants each including the General Staff Headquarters and the Office of the President. M a n y Ministries maintain offices in the States. The average number of civil servants by Ministry and agencies is approximately 5,500. T h e number of parastatal organizations and employees was not available at the time of the Unesco mission.

14. Six Ministries were consulted during the mission followed by on-site inspections of registries. Senior and junior staff were readily available for consultation and questioning. N o government offices outside of Lagos were visited. N o parastatal organizations were included on the schedule for the mission. O n e independent company was visited to provide some sense of comparison with large organizations operating in the private sector. N o publicly accessible private archives are known to exist, though there are a scattering of "history bureaux" in various parts of the country. These appear to be largely museums with some incidental archival holdings. N o n e of these bureaux were inspected. Publicly accessible municipal or local government authority archives do not seem to exist.

15. O n e overarching reality must be considered by anyone concerned with the preservation of records for administrative or heritage purposes: the physical ability of the information-carrying medium to survive long enough to serve the primary and secondary purposes of the record. The tropical Nigerian environment is extremely hostile to the prolonged survival of paper-based media. The life span of other media, such as electronic, is already known to be notoriously short in all but optimal environments. It is not too emphatic to state that unless a judicious and bold action plan is undertaken in the very near future, most of Nigeria's recorded information - including some already in the National Archives - will not only be too fragile to be handled, but will also be unrecoverable by any known technology.

16. In short, any record required for more than 30 or 40 years appears to have a very limited chance of lasting that long in a stable physical state. While it might take a scientific conservator a significant amount of time to conduct paper-aging tests throughout the records of the Ministries and the Archives to determine this definitively, visual inspection of the records subject to excessive heat, humidity, mould, light, air pollution, insects, rodents, and rough handling certainly supports the conclusion of a radically attenuated life expectancy.

17. Even records required for administrative purposes such as, for example, determining government employee benefits and pensions may not last as long as a full working career, thereby hampering the accurate assignment of entitlements due to some people under the laws and policies governing the civil service. This short life expectancy of records could have a profound effect on the rights and welfare of people and organizations in the public and private sectors of society w h o depend on the Government to maintain the evidence which upholds these entitlements or which documents such varied matters as

- 4 -

population growth, tax assessment and collection, national economic performance, environmental change, energy and resource development, court decisions, health care, educational development and opportunity, and the physical infrastructure of major capital investments which must be maintained and extended over time such as roads, bridges, highways, and public buildings including schools and hospitals. The effective and efficient management of social programmes and national assets depends on the timely availability and survival of vital recorded information.

Consultations and inspections

18. Several departments provided written reports summarizing some of their concerns. Following are some examples:

i. inadequate file classification techniques; ii. inappropriate quality of paper and file covers used; iii. insufficient security measures, especially for secret information and very important high level

documents; iv. inadequate mail management, especially of confidential or restricted correspondence; v. absence of an archives to which inactive and enduringly valuable records can be transferred for

future reference; vi. inadequate working tools ranging from stationery and office supplies, to file jackets and storage

cabinets; vii. non-existence of national standards for records-keeping activities including forms, c o m m o n file

systems, basic registry procedures, automation, microfilming, supplies, and equipment; viii.lack of microfilming equipment and programmes; ix. insufficient records disposal procedures; x. insufficient automation and automation expertise available in-house; xi. lack of records management training at all levels in the records-keeping process; xii. non-availability of supplies and materials appropriate to the climate of Nigeria; xiii. indolence and mediocre calibre of personnel available to undertake records-keeping duties at the

lowest registry office levels; xiv. lack of concern at more senior levels of departments for the basic problems of records-keeping; xv. poor storage and working conditions.

19. The pattern of the consultations were usefully uniform for the most part. A meeting with senior staff, often including heads of some registries, was held followed by on-site inspections of registry offices. S o m e Ministers and Directors General were involved initially. Appreciation of the need for good records management practices for operational purposes, policy formulation, and timely decision-making was expressed by all senior administrative officials. It was evident from time-to-time that some junior registry staff at the meetings and those encountered during the registry site inspections did not comprehend the information transmission process or the roles their offices play in the broader processes of providing information, analysing information, and making decisions in the government. There was little evidence of individual or corporate initiative to m a k e registries more efficient and responsive to information requirements. Procedures appear to have been in place for a long time, and seem to be driven more by tradition than need. M a n y registries were patently overstaffed, with numerous employees not usefully occupied,notwithstanding the ubiquitous heaps of dirty, tattered, and misfiled records in corners, on the tops of cupboards, and elsewhere. This overstaffing and inertia was confirmed in several instances by some middle and senior managers, but was as often denied by registry office staff.

20. Storage areas were consistently substandard. Files were usually shelved on unsealed wooden "cupboards", without regularly placed lateral supports to ensure that files remained upright when adjacent files were removed. It was most c o m m o n for closed files to be piled on top of these cupboards, always covered by dust and dirt, and often with other objects lying on top of the heaps. In many instances, records in files could hardly be distinguished in physical condition from those only a year or two old. The degree of mechanical damage through handling was clearly increasing daily, and was omnipresent. Even files held in suspended metal file holders reflected rough handling. The storage rooms were generally fully exposed to the external environment because of lack of air-conditioning and the consequent open windows. M a n y records exhibited signs of active mould infestation. Vermin and

- 5 -

insects are attacking the records. At least some of the registry offices attempt to combat this with periodic fumigation. File index systems were rudimentary or non-existent. It appears to be not u n c o m m o n for lengthy search periods ~ up to several days -- to be required, especially to locate inactive or closed files. In several registry storage areas, records were strewn over the floors and under shelving. In almost every storage area, the floors were littered with shreds of paper which had broken away from the edges of documents from both current and closed files. File contents were often torn and crumpled, frequently with large parts of pages rhissing.

21. O n e partial exception to the general rule of rapidly advancing deterioration of records was encountered. In this instance, records were housed in an air-conditioned room behind closed cupboard doors. Even paper 20-30 years old was clearly in better condition than any other records examined. Nevertheless, some of the records were water damaged, mouldy, and insect eaten.

22. In very few instances was there the slightest evidence of programme planning and management based on quantitative and qualitative performance appraisal of staff or of a registry office. Staff overcrowding was the norm. S o m e managers noted that the response to records-keeping and access problems in the registries is more likely to result in the addition of more untrained staff than a thorough needs and systems analysis. Indifference and lack of discipline among some junior registry staff were cited in various instances as being a fundamental part of the problem.

23. The basic management of case files (e.g. personnel files) in terms of file titles and shelf locations seems to be reasonably sound. This can be partly attributed to the relative ease with which case file titles can be identified and a simple alphabetical order established. In some offices, however, active files were returned only to the approximate original location. In most instances, closed files were out of order and frequently in total disarray. A more space-efficient continuous shelving system was deemed to be beyond the capabilities of existing staff.

24. In very few instances was there evidence that operational or administrative staff participate in any procedure whereby filing guidance might be given to "registry staff. Considering the generally limited perspective of registry staff on the overall activities and operations of a Ministry, it is not surprising that non case files reflected minimal to slight discrete subject divisions or functional relationships enabling their efficient treatment as series of records.

25. Office support 'equipment is in short supply. W h e r e filing cabinets are used, they are often rusting and damaged. Automated office systems appear to be almost non-existent despite the volumes of records and increasing complexity of operations and records systems. In one instance, an effort had been m a d e to begin a programme of automated access through the use of a personal computer. Insufficient hardware and software support from the supplier, and possibly too high expectations on the part of office management, contributed to the failure of this commendable effort to cope with a manual system which can barely support the information demands being placed on the operation.

26. S o m e agencies do not dispose of documents. The reasons given were various: any given file might be needed in the future; there is nowhere to send inactive or closed files; no file ever necessarily becomes inactive; it would be inconvenient and time-consuming if the file were not near at hand; what else can be done than to keep the file? Other operations have burned records perceived to be of no further value. A few others do transfer their closed files to the N A N even though the records are located several hours of driving away at Ibadan. In a few operations, small rooms were found filled with apparently abandoned files lying in heaps on the floor undoubtedly attracting insects and vermin. Frequently, registry storage areas present a serious fire hazard should there be an electrical short in the wiring of the building or in the electrical cords used for fans and other purposes in the rooms.

27. There was a well-defined sense of the need for confidentiality and secrecy in the handling of certain documents. Personal identification and sign-out procedures for files were apparently in place, but in some cases they entailed cumbersome, unnecessarily repetitive, and counter-productive actions.

- 6 -

28. In general, there was a belief among senior managers that automation will help cure many of the ills which were as evident to the persons being consulted as to the Unesco mission members. There were a few references to a government-wide data base being considered. Details were not available as to the nature and extent of this potential development. However, it is clear that automation is being widely considered by many managers and administrators as an essential information management tool and the means for the provision of better management information. While this is certainly true in the abstract, major undertakings in these areas must be preceded by thorough needs and capability analyses in departments, ministries, and across government. By the same token, such a caveat should not be applied in such a manner as to stymie or defer appropriate and well considered automation developments where feasible. Specialist assistance is required to avoid significant expenditures on inappropriate, impractical, or unnecessary automation applications. There is a tendency for managers beset with records-keeping problems to expect that automation will always provide the solutions. Finally, the Nigerian climate is not hospitable to electronic information systems, and carefully maintained equipment and environments will have to be considered at costs additional to hardware, software, and the training of personnel.

29. N o trained or certified records managers existed in any of the agencies consulted, and no such managers were thought to exist anywhere in the government. There was some confusion encountered in one instance between the functions of a clinical records officer and a records manager. Obviously there are staff in charge of managing records, but their expertise derives largely from on-the-job training which generally leads to the perpetuation of existing and often out-of-date records-keeping methods.

30. N o microformat information systems were encountered during the mission, though there were numerous instances where microfilming for operational purposes were suggested by managers and seemed appropriate. Microformats were espoused several times as space-saving devices. There was little appreciation of the important distinctions which must be drawn between microfilm as a compact storage system and the use of microfilm as an integral part of current service delivery. The cost implications of having to purchase and maintain microformat readers was acknowledged to be a major potential impediment.

31. The concept of evolving internal records management capabilities with the assistance of the N A N was advanced at each senior level meeting, and the role of a records centre was explained. Once the process was understood, there was universal and even enthusiastic support for such an integrated archival programme. The positive reception was not surprising since it seemed to offer a little or low-cost solution for ministries with severe records-keeping problems. The idea of mandating a central agency to manage and store records was readily appreciated to be a more successful approach than leaving the ministries to their o w n devices since they were likely to focus, understandably, on their primary departmental missions rather than on the care and control of records. Initial barriers against acceptance of the records centre concept included: a concern for confidentiality and secrecy of records, speed and accuracy of retrieval of documents by records centre staff for the departments, physical security, and the occasional position that operations depended on all records being directly available in offices at all times.

C. S U M M A R Y CONCLUSIONS

32. There is no integrated, formal records management programme in the Nigerian Government. The N A N has forged links with some departments, but these depend more on personal contacts than on legislative or policy requirements. The departments sincerely want help, and are very receptive and supportive of an integrated records management programme led and co-ordinated by the N A N . The problems are perceived as being so urgent that a "quick fix" may be unrealistically anticipated by some of the departments consulted notwithstanding the advice that the introduction of a records management programme, even if significant funds were immediately available, would take commitment and time.

33. Departmental staff interest in a records management programme is generally motivated by the wish to resolve current records-handling problems and space congestion exacerbated by the haphazard

- 7 -

accumulation of active and inactive records. Historical and cultural values of records were of secondary interest for the most part, but by no means entirely.

34. The archivally hostile Nigerian climate, crude storage techniques, and rough handling of documents have put archival, inactive, and even current records in immediate peril. Information is undoubtedly being lost to these factors alone on a daily basis. The situation is already critical.

35. A s has been suggested above, there are, of course, extenuating circumstances with respect to the existing state of records management in Nigeria, including the limited availability of formal training opportunities at all civil service levels, the apparent lack of records storage options partly because of the formerly limited profile and storage space available at the N A N in Ibadan, the current economic conditions, the physical environment, and the absence of records management experts and advocates in the ministries themselves to articulate the issues and solutions. In particular, there is no records centre in the capital city.

36. There is potential support at senior levels. S o m e departments are already upgrading the level of staff to be designated as accountable for records keeping. The shift of responsibility for internal records management from Personnel departments to Research, Planning, and Statistics is practical and commendable. While Personnel departments do deal with large volumes of records which they must manage in one way or another, their perspective on broad questions of records management is understandably limited. Research, Planning, and Statistics departments are both broadly analytical, and systems and research oriented. These are qualities which support this transfer of general records management responsibilities. The senior management of the N A N has also taken the progressive step of moving the Archives headquarters to the capital and will also soon have additional archival, but not inactive, records storage space at Ibadan.

37. There are virtually no knowledgeable and experienced trained records management advocates in the government, though senior staff support in principle is readily found for better records-keeping practices. There is little doubt that improved records systems would lead to economies in staffing, storage, space utilization, and in more efficient and effective access to information for policy formulation and decision-making. The initial investments required would have a payback in the medium-term, with long-term operational and financial benefits. Nigeria's cultural heritage would also benefit.

38. The question remains, however, if the ministries and departments have the foresight and will to give records management a high enough priority against the many competing interests of their primary operating programmes at a time of fiscal restraint. O n the other hand, efficient, effective, and economical service delivery is always a priority with dedicated and experienced programme managers.

- 8 -

II NATIONAL ARCHIVES

A. INTRODUCTION

39. The problem facing the Department of National Archives of Nigeria ( N A N ) in the keeping of archives as sources of knowledge of the history of Nigeria and thereby as sources of cultural heritage of mankind can be divided into different groups:

o climate related o organization related o building related o equipment related o materials related o training related.

40. Though in some cases the staff of the N A N are fighting a seemingly lost battle, the consultant was impressed by the zeal of the Director of the Department and his senior staff in doing their utmost to change the imminent outcome of their battle into a victory. However, it seems that it is very difficult to motivate other staff to do their job as requested because of an almost total lack of functioning equipment and basic materials at this stage.

41. While visiting the archives in Ibadan, Enugu and Kaduna, the consultant could not help comparing them with a beautiful aircraft crashed, just after take-off. Unlike a downed aircraft however, these archival remains could be reassembled, if reinforced, into a sound institution, serving its goal of preserving for the people of Nigeria the documents containing their c o m m o n history.

B. FIELD REPORT

Organization

42. The Director of the Department of National Archives of Nigeria runs three archival repositories, located in the former capitals under British rule, i.e. Ibadan (est. 1958), Kaduna (est. 1962) and Enugu (est. 1963). For historic reasons Ibadan serves as the main seat of the N A N ; however, the administrative headquarters has been recently moved (1987) to Lagos, the actual seat of government. Following the scheduled completion of transfer of the seat of government to Abuja (Federal Capital Territory), the headquarters will find definitive housing in Abuja in 1992. The Ibadan repository, run by an assistant-director, contains archives from all over the country prior to about 1962. The two zonal branches, Kaduna and Enugu, each run by a chief archivist, contain archives from within their zone. The Ibadan repository serves nowadays as a zonal repository.

43. The officers running the repositories hold a dual position, being also zonal co-ordinators. The zones, coinciding with former West, North and East Nigeria, are rather unequal in the number of States, size and population. All three offices serve both as archives repositories for the three levels of government (federal, state, and local) and for the private sector and as records centres for the public sector.

44. The three repositories theoretically run full archives, records management, and conservation programmes. However, as housing, equipment and materials are insufficient or lacking, parts of the programmes are weak or failing.

45. T o lighten the burden of the repositories, records centres are planned for all other states. So far, records centres have been created, or are scheduled for the next two years, in Bendel State, O g u n State, O n d o State (West-Nigeria, one more to come), Kwara State and Sokoto State (North-Nigeria, eight more to come) and Cross-River State, Imo State and Rivers State (East-Nigeria, one more to come). The records centres are run by an archivist.

- 9 -

Housing

46. The Ibadan, Kaduna and Enugu archives are accommodated in purpose-built buildings, each holding approximately 3,000 linear metres of archives. The Ibadan facility, being the oldest, is less well designed so far as protection against environmental hazards is concerned. All stacks and processing areas are overloaded by archives and records, and the libraries by books. Staff and user facilities are inadequate. However, as extensions for storage and the refurbishing of the original buildings is executed or scheduled, storage capacity will be doubled and other facilities ameliorated in Enugu at the end of this year, and in Ibadan early next year. The construction of the extension in Kaduna is halfway completed, but had to be stopped because of lack of funds. The refurbishing of the original building is planned to be finished in 1989. A major problem is the lack of funds for buying new shelving and boxes.

47. Though the layout of the buildings is excellent, more thought should be given in the planning phase to the prevention of and defenses against environmental hazards, such as heat, humidity, dust, insects and rodents. M o r e use could be m a d e of natural cooling systems, such as verandahs, sunshades, etc. O n e archivist should specialize in this field and his expertise should be used by the ministries responsible for the construction of both records and archival repositories. These ministries should be made aware that investment in prevention pays the highest dividend. Therefore a further improvement of the quality of all accommodation where documents are processed or used (i.e. processing, conservation, staff, users and storage areas) should have priority. Heat, humidity and dust control are of prime importance and will help staff to preserve the Nigerian cultural heritage.

48. The extension of the stacks, once equipped with shelving and boxes, will provide a storage capacity for the next five to ten years. Further extensions or new buildings should be scheduled now.

49. For lack of functioning hygrothermographs, basic data on temperature and humidity are non-existent. D u e to the unreliability of electricity supply, all electrical equipment needs servicing and repairing regularly. A s spare parts are scarce and sometimes of dubious quality, most of the equipment is regularly out of order, sometimes for months at a time. Equipment that is still running, thanks to the maintenance efforts of staff in charge, has outlasted both its economical and its technical lifetime.

50. Most cooling machines function properly; however, the effect of their use is meagre, because of insufficient insulation and discipline, and thereby ineffective. Despite the fact that these cooling machines are labelled "air-conditioners", they have no other effect than lowering the temperature.

51. N o n e of the fire detection and alarm systems are (if available) functioning. Nevertheless, the 24-hour watchman patrol, which seems to be in place, is more important. There needs to be a means established of monitoring these patrols to ensure that rounds are indeed made , and are made on a non-regular basis to avoid indentification of a security time pattern. Fire-fighting equipment should be improved and, where lacking, provided.

Technical sections

52. The remarks made above about the electrical and technical equipment apply also to the bindery and restoration section and the photographic section (microfilming, reprography and laboratories). All, or almost all, electrical or sophisticated equipment, such as cameras, processing units, readerprinters, printers, photocopying machines, board cutters have broken down or are unusable for lack of spare parts and are unreliable when functioning. In other words, there is a total breakdown as far as this equipment is concerned. S o m e equipment, such as fumigation chambers, has never functioned properly due to unreliable manufacturers. Thanks again to the improvisational talents of the people in charge, the output of these sections is nevertheless between 10-25% of their theoretical output-capacity. There is no need to supply a listing of faulty or functioning equipment as all equipment should be replaced by modern, environment resistant, equipment.

53. A s all output of these sections is stored in the original storage areas, m u c h of the work will have to be redone in due course. It is regrettable that mastercopies have been used to make prints on

- 10 -

readerprinters. User copies should be made for use by the public. Reduction rates have not been standardized. There is no equipment for quality control.

Professional standards

54. Professional standards are high, though knowledge of developments in the international archival scene are weak. Refresher courses should and recently have been organized on behalf of the professional archivists. Basic training for new and junior archival staff is weak, partly because of the lack of any tutorial programmes, handbooks or other instructional materials whatsoever. The same applies to the training of conservators. However, thanks to the policy of the N A to shift professional staff around through the country, there is no difference in quality of output among the three archives.

55. The output of processing units is high in quantity, but, even so, the quality needs improvement. Internationally accepted terminology and standardization practices should be introduced. Part of the difference in the use of terminology is the result of variations in training of the senior archivists. Archivists have been trained at Legon University, Ghana, at the National Archives of Canada and of India, and at London University, U K . N o archivists have recently been sent abroad for primary or further training. N o recent instructional materials are available.

56. The following table identifies what training has been undertaken by Nigerian archivists:

Undergraduate Graduate Postgraduate

Legon Univ. (Ghana) yes yes no London Univ. ( U K ) no yes yes N . A of Canada no yes no N . A of India no yes yes

Ibadan University will run a Master's course in Archival Sciences if accorded recognition by the National Universities Commission, Nigeria.

- 11 -

III RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE ACTION

A. RECORDS M A N A G E M E N T

Legislation

57. The Nigerian Government should review and revise the existing 1957 legislation governing the National Archives. The revisions should address the following issues:

a) T h e need to provide sufficient authority to the Minister responsible for the Archives, on the advice of the Director, to review records management practices in Ministries with compelling powers to require improvements in these practices, and to require the transfer of records to the custody of the Archives except under circumstances adjudicated by the President's Office to be against the National interest.

b) T h e need to provide sufficient authority to the Director of the Archives to inspect active and inactive records to determine their type, location, volume, arrangement, and physical condition in order to m a k e recommendations to the Minister responsible for the Archives, except under circumstances adjudicated by the President's Office to be against the national interest.

c) T h e need to articulate more precisely the role and responsibilities of the National Archives with respect to the private sector, providing sufficient safeguards to prevent private records placed in the National Archives from being used in any way contrary to prevailing safeguards and practices afforded private citizens and private sector enterprises in regard to access to and possession of such records. In other words, records placed in the Archives should be no more accessible to government authorities than they would be while still in the possession and control of a private citizen or private enterprise.

National Archives Commission

58. T h e Nigerian Government should establish a National Archives Commission. a) T h e National Archives Commission should be of manageable size and composed of

knowledgeable and dedicated Nigerians drawn from the public and private sectors of society. M e m b e r s of the Commission should be selected from a m o n g persons prepared to devote substantive time to periodic meetings to further Nigeria's interests in sound records management practices, and in the preservation and future availability of its documentary heritage. These members should be prepared to participate under the Nigerian oath of secrecy used for the civil service, or an appropriate equivalent device.

b) The Commission's role should be to consider recommendations, and to articulate policy advice and direction through the Minister responsible for the Archives. The Nigerian Archives should provide the Secretariat to the Commission.

c) T h e Commission should be appointed for up to three years to oversee a survey of all Nigerian government records identifying their type, location, volume, arrangement, and physical condition, except where adjudicated by the President's Office to be against the national interest. T h e survey should be fully completed within two years of the striking of the Commission, and a detailed report submitted to the Minister responsible for the Archives along with the advice and recommendations of the Commission.

d) There should be a general prohibition placed on the destruction of documents during the survey and the reporting period except with the explicit authority of the Minister responsible for the Archives on the advice of the National Archivist, and on the recommendation of the Commission.

e) Following the submission of its advice and recommendations to the Minister responsible for the Archives, the Commission's role and mandate should be reviewed with one option being the continuation of the Commission as a standing body through which the National Archivist m a y seek advice and recommendations to the Minister responsible for the Archives. T h e existence of the Commission should not impede the normal access to and direction from the Director-General and the Minister responsible for the Archives.

- 12 -

Records management programme

59. The Nigerian Government should establish a records management programme for ministries and parastatal organizations. The programme should be under the direction and control of the N A N , and should include:

a) The establishment of a central, environmentally controlled, and secure records centre. This centre should be located in the capital of the nation, and be available to all ministries and parastatal organizations for the intermediate retention and storage of inactive records. In view of the Government's intention to relocate the capital to Abuja, this records centre should be planned and constructed in a location central to government ministries in Abuja.

b) A s a critical interim measure, an existing building should be identified near the current headquarters of the N A N to act as a records centre. This action should be undertaken in the very near future to initiate the records management programme and to relieve Ministries of inactive records which are currently congesting office space, impeding good records-keeping practices, and suffering serious damage in their existing locations. This interim measure will not only assist Ministries at once, but will also provide important practical experience to the National Archives in managing a records centre in the Nigerian environment.

c) The identification and appointment of a senior staff member in the Research, Planning, and Statistics department of each Ministry as being accountable for internal records management practices throughout the Ministry. An appointment at a similarly senior level should be made in all parastatal organizations for the same purposes. This staff m e m b e r would be responsible for directing, monitoring, and reporting on the development of sound records management practices, and for adherence to legislative and policy requirements.

d) The disposition and alienation of government records should be permitted only on the advice and recommendation of the National Archivist through the National Archives Commission. In general, records disposition should be immediate destruction, destruction after a specified time in the records centre, transfer to archives after a specified time period in the records centre, or immediate transfer to the Archives. "Alienation" refers to the loss or surrender of government custody of an official record.

e) If it is decided to m a k e the Commission an ongoing body after the review period suggested above, recommendations on the disposition of government records and on records management policy and direction would be a m o n g the Commission's key advisory roles to the Minister responsible for the Archives.

f) The establishment of local federal records centres strategically placed in the various States of Nigeria. T h e s e centres should build u p o n the existing ne twork of eleven branch a n d zonal repositories outside L a g o s . T h e y could b e established in existing buildings, a n d provide centres for the p lacement of state a n d local g o v e r n m e n t authority records, a n d d o c u m e n t s f rom the private sector w h e r e d e e m e d appropriate a n d desirable.

g) This development will take careful prior evaluation, planning, and negotiation, but should be initiated within the next three years under the guidance and advice of the National Archives Commission in consultation with state and local authorities. Basic facilities for public research purposes should be considered as part of these records centres. U s e of the records centres by state and local government authorities should be based on a cost-sharing formula negotiated with or determined by the Federal Government.

Training

60. The Nigerian Government should actively encourage basic and advanced training of records management and registry office staff. This initiative should build upon the existing expertise of the National Archives and upon the courses n o w offered at the University of Ibadan. A body of records management trainers should also be identified within the N A N and skills upgraded where necessary to enable the provision of short certificate courses o n file a n d registry systems for registry office staff, for courses a n d w o r k s h o p s as appropriate, a n d for awareness a n d topical seminars for records m a n a g e r s a n d m o r e senior m a n a g e r s . This training ability should b e developed within the Nigerian civil service with the support of external experts as required.

- 13 -

Implementation

61. The Nigerian Government should require all ministries and parastatal organizations to adhere to sound records management practices as promulgated by revised legislation, policy directives, and circulars

a) In the apparent absence of widely available, cross governmental central policy, administrative, and general management information manuals, effective procedures need to be developed which will ensure the widest possible respect for and adherence to sound records management practices.

b) The advancement of the N A N to fill the records management void in the Nigerian Government will represent the approaching maturation of a fully integrated archival-records management programme. Records management is a central government activity which requires the fullest level of authority available to ensure its successful implementation and maintenance.

c) There will be a tendency in government agencies to confuse the strictly historical and cultural role of the Archives with its dedication to more effective, efficient, and economical government operations through sound records management practices. Consequently, as is c o m m o n in other progressive records management programmes, a firm source of authority needs to be identified which will make it clear to all Ministries and Parastatal organizations that policies and procedures developed for better records management practices are the will and direction of the government.

d) Several options are available to accomplish this purpose: i. The N A N could be transferred as a department to the Office of the President. This is the

preferred option to support the provision of a government-wide records management programme.

ii. All central policy statements, directives, circulars, and procedural guidelines could be issued under the authority of the President's Office, possibly through the Chief Secretary of the Office. The control of the implementation of these directions to be commissioned to the National Archives. This is the min imum requirement to support a government-wide records management programme.

Automation

62. The Nigerian Government should strike a senior level representative committee to examine the overall automation requirements of the Nigerian Government in the short and long-term:

a) This Committee, possibly chaired by the Director of Research, Planning, and Statistics, Office of the President, should include the National Archivist and selected Directors of Research, Planning, and Statistics of other key or representative Ministries. While the Nigerian Government may not yet be planning or considering major automation initiatives, the programme and financial implications of such future developments warrant early examination to determine needs, priorities, standards, and the availability of appropriate expertise, hardware, and software in Nigeria. Such a coordinated approach will help ensure the optimal development in the future of automation capabilities appropriate to Nigerian requirements and conditions, and avoid last minute decision-making based on insufficient planning when significant resources may be at stake.

b) This Committee would also be responsible for screening and recommending on major automation proposals with significant resource implications for departments and Ministries to ensure compliance with overall government automation policies, priorities, standards, and guidelines. Such c o m m o n screening elements should be pre-determined by the Committee and approved at an appropriate higher administrative level in the government.

Preservation

63. The Nigerian Government should support the further development of preservation capabilities in the N A N along with a central government micrographics service for conservational and operational purposes:

a) The need to increase the productivity of the N A N conservation facility is patently obvious from the condition of material inspected. In addition, it should be recognized that with currently available conservation technologies, the physical preservation of individual documents will still

- 1 4 -

r e m a i n primarily d e p e n d e n t o n s o u n d preventive conservation measu res emphasizing controlled environmental storage conditions a n d careful handling.

b) In order to salvage the informational content of the many rapidly deteriorating records of the Nigerian government and other documents deriving from the private sector, conversion to other formats is urgently required. Microfilming is still the most reliable med ium for information conversion, but the recommended silver halide negatives produced must be stored in archivally approved containers in environmentally controlled vaults. The negatives must be used only to provide positive prints for operational and research uses.

c) Building on the existing microfilming expertise of the N A N , a central micrographics operation should be established which would meet two basic needs: i. central microfilming of government records for operational use by government departments.

and ii. conservational filming of records held by the N A N .

d) A centralized micrographics operation will achieve economies available from bulk purchasing and provide the necessary quality controls for the production of microfilm. Nevertheless, there should be an awareness that the investment of resources in staff and equipment needs to be accompanied by thorough maintenance and service procedures backed up by the supplier. The equipment must be simple and rugged enough to endure the Nigerian working environment. There will also be similar requirements for microfilm readers in departments wishing to use microformats for operational purposes.

c) A significant potential spin-off benefit deriving from microfilm copies of the N A N records will be their availability to other Nigerian archives through inter-repository loan or the provision of copies. This will in some measure help offset the costs of research entailed by travelling to different archives in the Nigerian system.

B. NATIONAL ARCHIVES

General

64. It is recommended to establish a professional board, chaired by the Director of the N A N , to monitor the necessary surveys, the dissemination of standards and the implementation of training.

Organization

65. In order to establish a more even setup of the N A N and a better sharing of the total burden among the regional branches, it is recommended: a) T o divide the Northern branch into two. This n e w zonal branch should preferably be located

in Jos, Plateau State, its environmental conditions for storing documents of any kind, being the best of all Nigeria.

b) Records centres should be set up as soon as possible in all States, on behalf of the public sector and preferably also on behalf of the private sector.

c) Zonal branches should be directed by an assistant-director. d) Records centres should be directed by a chief archivist, having additional training in records

management and a thorough knowledge of the institutional history of the public sector. e) T h e assistant-director for administrative affairs should take the lead in the modernization of the

N A N . For computerization, s/he should be assisted by the vanguard chosen from the archivists holding the best schooling in sciences, one of them preferably holding a first degree in sciences.

f) O n e m e m b e r of staff should b e appointed to direct all affairs in the field of housing a n d equipment. H e should have a thorough knowledge of natural defense systems against environmental hazards.

g) O n e m e m b e r of staff should be appointed to direct all training affairs. S/he should be assisted by an archivist from each of the zonal branches, and be executive officers for all training matters in their zone.

h) T h e process of reporting to the Director should be standardized. All information should be given in a standardized format in order to establish a reliable management information base.

- 1 5 -

i) T h e directing officers should b e m a d e familiar with the use of statistical data for managerial purposes,

j) N e w legislation should give manda tory powers to the Director.

Housing, storage and related equipment

66. It is recomended in this area that: a) Extensive use should be m a d e of materials and structures providing natural shelter from

environmental hazards. b) O n e m e m b e r of staff should specialize in all building and equipment affairs. c) Improvements should be m a d e in the protection against environmental hazards, especially heat,

humidity and dust. Sealing of floors, better cleaning methods and discipline in this field should be introduced and enforced.

d) Four heavy-duty vacuum cleaners should be provided to each zonal branch. Spare parts arid paper bags serving for the technical lifetime of these cleaners should go with them.

e) Basic data should be collected by monitoring temperature and humidity in both repositories and other areas. Ten thermometers and ten hygrometers or ten hygrothermographs should be provided to each of the archives offices, spare parts, ink and forms going with them for their technical lifetime.

f) If after evaluation of these data m o r e cooling and drying equ ipmen t is needed, outside expertise should b e requested before ordering t h e m .

g) M o r e and better fire fighting equipment must be installed. All equipment has to be serviced and maintained on a regular basis.

h) Electrical installations must be improved to ensure both greater safety from fire and a longer life of electrical equipment,

i) Equipment to master the fluctuation of electrical cycles (stabilizers) and auxiliary power plants for periods of power failure should be provided to each repository. A n electrical engineer should attend to this matter,

j) Fire detection systems should be supplied for greater safety, k) All n e w extensions and n e w buildings should have optimal protection against environmental

hazards. O n e of the repositories should be provided with cold storage and a climatization chamber for storage of master microforms, films and computer backups.

1) Thermoboxes for transportation of these materials should be provided to all branches, m ) T h e Abuja headquarters should serve as the centre for modernization of systems in use or

coming, i.e. accommodation for computers should be of the highest possible level, n) Better use should be m a d e of available shelving, diagonals should be mounted in order to secure

stability of shelving, o) Flat storage of all documents, preferably in boxes, is advisable, p) Sufficient boxes and wrapping paper should be provided, q) T h e use of tags to keep files together should be reconsidered, as they endanger proper storage

of the tagged documents, r) Outside expertise should be sought where appropriate.

Other equipment

67. A s regards other equipment and materials the following recommendations are made: i. Bindery

a) Fumigation machines should not be put in working order, as recent literature proves that chemicals used are poisonous for both insects and staff. For the time being the use of plastic bags and Vapona strips is more advisable, but current advice on this technique should be sought first.

b) All card cutting machines must be overhauled. c) All stitching machines must be overhauled, if necessary replaced or installed. d) Distilling machines, blocking machines and drilling machines must be overhauled, if necessary

replaced.

- 16 -

e) Japanese tissue, teflon, perspex, silicon release paper, buckram, cellulose acetate firm, handmade rag paper and several chemicals must be supplied. Outside advice should be sought,

ii. Photography and reprography a) Reliable 3 5 m m cameras, accessories and materials for maintenance must be supplied. Outside

advice should be sought. b) Photocopying machines (two per branch) must be supplied. Local servicing must be available. c) All needed films, printing paper, paper, toner, chemicals and cleaning materials must be

provided. d) Other materials (bulbs and so on) must be provided. e) Still functioning cameras must be overhauled,

iii. Microfilming a) 1 6 m m microfilming cameras (two per branch) and processing units (one per branch) including

spare parts, chemicals, films and so on must be supplied. b) Jacketing equipment for both 16 and 3 5 m m films (one of each per branch) and materials

must be supplied. c) Diazo copying machines (one set per branch), including supplying of all materials. d) Remnants of 3 5 m m Recordak cameras should be reassembled as far as possible.

Professional standards

68. Recommendations concerning professional standards are as follows: i. Finding aids

a) A s long as records management at the administrative level is weak or failing, archivists will have to go on carrying the burden of cleaning up the mess. They will have to go on doing the sorting for disposal to either archives or for destruction. In both cases they will have to m a k e simple (class) lists in order to be able to prove what has been retained and what was disposed of.

b) Disposal should be arranged in such a way that none of the documents to be disposed of, survives destruction.

c) Though more effective ways of making simple lists could be thought of, their is no need to produce these, as the preparation of simple lists is part of the training of new untrained archival staff.

d) In order to give more information to users, additional finding aids have been prepared. These additional finding aids are not as adequate as they might be. This technique m a y serve quite well in other countries, but due to the scarcity of information on early Nigerian history (up to the 1960s) more user-adequate finding aids giving more detailed information on the contents of the files should be prepared. In some cases, files should be rearranged in a more appropriate way, as m a n y files in themselves contain no order. Refresher courses are needed.

e) It should be considered that the actual use of class systems should be improved. Inventories of all records created by one archives creating-agency or officer should be introduced.

ii. National guide a) Study should be m a d e of a national guide to historic records in Nigeria, in the framework

of Unesco's planning of a worldwide series of guides on the sources to the history of m e m b e r states. A guide on Nigerian archives fits into this framework. Standards for this Nigerian guide have still to be developed. Outside expertise is advisable. Extended visits to meetings of the R o u n d Table on Archives could be used for this purpose.

b) A national guide means standardization of descriptive levels and practices. This should be m a d e subject of a refresher course.

c) A national guide could serve as pilot-project for the introduction of word-processing in the archival profession of Nigeria, as any investment in such a guide would be useless unless the guide is updated properly and regularly. Outside expertise is necessary.

d) Introduction of more advanced automated systems should await the outcome of this pilot-project.

- 17 -

iii. Access regulations a) Access regulations should be adapted to the needs of the country on the basis of U n e s c o

and I C A standards.

Training

69. T h e following recommendations are m a d e in the area of training: i. Self Reliance

a) T h e Department should run its o w n training scheme at undergraduate and graduate levels. b) O n e m e m b e r of staff should be appointed to direct all training affairs. c) In each of the zonal branches, one m e m b e r of staff should be appointed as executing officer

in this field. ii. Archivists

a) For lack of training facilities in Nigeria, staff was sent abroad to be trained as archivists until a few years ago. A s these courses were not specially designed for Nigerian archivists, part of the training was ineffective, since some knowledge was not applicable, and s o m e was inappropriate. O n e of the difficulties was that uniformity in standards, methods and terminology is lacking.

b) A refresher course has to be given on behalf of promising archivists. Outside assistance and expertise is needed. (In A n n e x I , a programme for this course is suggested.)

c) Undergraduate training should be provided for n e w professional staff at each zonal branch by specially trained members of staff. Students should sit a central examination.

d) Graduate training should be provided for undergraduate staff of proven quality. This course should be given at one of the branches only, as the number of students will be small.

e) T h e National Universities Commission should provide recognition for the Masters course in Archives Sciences at the Ibadan University.

f) A joint programme should be developed by the N A N and the Ibadan University for the training of archivists.

g) T o guarantee the level of all three courses,' outside expertise should be sought both for the design of the courses and for the examinations for a period of four years.

iii. Librarians a) All librarians running an archives library should have a thorough understanding of

cataloguing techniques. Basic training should be provided on the job, for instance by using basic manuals available in other countries,

iv. Conservators a) For lack of basic training facilities, s o m e conservators have been sent abroad to get s o m e

training on the job in archives, m u s e u m s or libraries. For this part of the archival profession, it was the only way to get proper training in those days. A proper understanding of what is going on in archival materials in tropical countries is a prerequisite for any decent kind of conservation, except, perhaps, in binding. A s the top conservator of the N A N will retire shortly, a replacement should be found by hiring a m e m b e r of staff with a science background in chemistry. Without such a person, all conservation in a tropical climate will prove to be a circle without end, and thereby useless.

b) A n on-the-job training programme including maintenance of equipment, and practical and theoretical examinations, should be organized for lower and middlegrade staff.

v. Photographers and microfilmers a) On-the-job training should be arranged providing basic information about contrast, use of

light, use of chemicals, storage and maintenance of chemicals and equipment, vi. Clerical and administrative staff

a) Senior clerical staff should be trained in the application of basic records management . T h e archives should set an example in this field.

b) S o m e members of clerical staff have to be trained in the gathering of data and preparation of statistics.

- 18 -

C. INTERNATIONAL ACTION

Strategy

70. International action should be aimed at the development of a strategy for the modernization of the national records management programme and of the National Archives. Special attention should be given to: a) the preparation of studies, manuals and teaching materials in the field of records and archives

management and conservation in tropical and subtropical countries. b) the preparation of feasibility studies on the development of equipment and materials specially

designed for developing tropical and subtropical countries. c) the preparation of feasibility studies on the planning and designing of environmental hazards

resistent archival repositories.

71. These concerns should be taken into account in the R A M P Programme.

Immediate action

72. The following immediate action is required: i. Equipment

The National Archives of Nigeria should be provided with: a) 30 thermometers and 30 hygrometers or 30 hygrothermographs including further materials

in order to enable the N A N to produce basic statistics. b) 12 heavy-duty vacuum cleaners including further materials. c) metal shelving up to 3,000 linear metres and 200,000 boxes in order to prevent further

immediate disaster. d) with stabilisers if so advised by a surveyor of electrical and related problems. e) sufficient equipment and materials to run basic conservation and microfilming programmes. f) the m e a n s , including w o r d processing facilities, to prepare a National G u i d e ,

ii. Training a) T h e Director of the N A N should be enabled to do a fact-finding mission on information

systems in the Federal Republic of Germany, Kenya, the Netherlands and Zimbabwe. b) A refresher course should be held in Nigeria in 1990 (see Annex I ) . c) Follow-up visits should be arranged to assess and improve implementation, in 1991 and 1992.

Implementation and funding

73. These international actions might be funded under a major records and archives management programme sponsored by U N D P and Unesco.

74. Unesco should facilitate the submission of such a programme to U N D P New-York . S o m e of the actions suggested might benefit from bilateral assistance.

- 19 -

ANNEX I

REFRESHER COURSE, NIGERIA, SPRING 1990

Introduction and goals

1. A refresher course should be organized to familiarize promising archivists with modern archival practices and developments in early 1990. A second goal of this course should be the preparation of readers and other teaching materials on behalf of future on the job training for undergraduate and graduate students. A third goal would be the familiarizing of future Nigerian teachers of archival practices with the uses of modern techniques and lecturing methods, e.g. readers, slide and overhead projectors, and computers.

Subjects

2. Subjects might be: (1) general introduction to recent developments in archival practices; (2) modern archival terminology; (3) standardization of levels of description; (4) theory and organization of finding aids; (5) theory and organization of conservation; (6) theory of reprography and microfilming; (7) climate and hygiene in and organization of repository; (8) production and use of statistical data; (9) theory of library cataloguing; (10) theory of computing; (11) management of archives.

Organization

3. The Director of the Course ( D C ) should be appointed by Unesco, after approval of the Director of the Department of National Archives. The D C and the Director of N A N should select the lecturers.

4. Outside funding should be sought to cover the costs of the course.

5. Participants, selected by the Director of the N A N , should sit an entrance test, prepared by the Director of the N A N and the D C . Participants should sit tests after the first and second weeks in order to create two separate groups for the second half of the course.

6. The course itself will take four weeks. The D C and lecturers should arrive one week early in order to learn and understand the Nigerian system, to get acquainted with each other, to evaluate tests, to adapt teaching methods and materials and to install equipment. The D C and lecturers will stay for one week more after termination of the course in order to finalize, together with representatives of N A N , readers and other teaching materials for future on the job training by the N A N .

- 20 -

A N N E X I (cont'd)

Schedule

WEEK 1

M o - F r Arrival of D C and lecturers, briefing by director of N A N and members of senior staff, installation of equipment, evaluation of entrance test, adoption of papers.

Sa Arrival and registration of students.

am pm night am pm night

WEEK 2 WEEK 3

M o opening Tu s2 W e s2 Th s2 Fr s3

group 1

W E E K 4

si* s2 s2 s3 study

M o preparation of Tu finding W e it. Th it. Fr it. Sa

W E E K 5

M o s7 Tu s2 W e s4 Th s6 Fr exam Sa

aids it. it. it.

s8 s3 s5 study exam

films study study study test 1

study study study study study

study study study study

results

Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa

s4 s4 s4 s5 s6 study

group 2

s7 s9 slO slO Sil sil

s4 s4 s4 s5 s6 test 2

>

s8 s9 slO slO Sil sil

preparation of finding it. it. exam

aids it. it. exam

study study study study study

study study study study study

study study study study

results

WEEK 6

M o - F r Course evaluation and finalization of readers and other teaching materials.

*s = subject

- 21 -

ANNEX II

VISITS, C O N S U L T A T I O N S A N D O T H E R ACTIVITIES

Messrs Van Albada and Bower

April, 1989

17 22h00 Arrival at Lagos Airport. 23h00 Briefing by Messrs E . Unuigbe and H . Lafinhan.

18 9h00 N A N : introduction of staff of the Headquarters by M r J. Enwere, Director of the Department of National Archives of Nigeria ( D N A N ) .

lOhOO Pressbriefing, attended by representatives of all major newspapers and of Radio Nigeria.

12h00 U N D P : briefing by M r M . Shimoda, Programme Officer. 15h00 Ministry of Education: reception by the Hon. Minister G . Aminu. 16h00 U n e s c o Nigeria: courtesy visit to the Secretary General of the U n e s c o

Commission of Nigeria.

19 9h00 Settlement of administrative affairs. Ilh30 Unesco.- courtesy visit to the representative of Unesco , prof. G . Amare. 12h00-16h00 Working session at N A N H Q with senior staff.

Mr. Van Albada

20 lOhOO Departure by car for Ibadan zonal branch. 12h00 Introduction of staff by M r O . Oruche^ act. Assistant Director. 14h00-16h00 Tour of Ibadan Z B .

21 9h00 Tour of Ibadan Z B . 12h00-15h30 Working session with senior staff. 16h00 Return to Lagos. 20h00-21h00 Working session with D N A N .

Messrs Van Albada and Bower

22 Excursion to Badagry.

Mr . Bower

20 lOhOO Visit to the Research, Planning and Statistics Department, Ministry of Education. Discussions with Director, Prof. M.J . Shuaibu, and staff.

12h00-13h30 Visit to registry offices -- Open, Confidential, and Secret.

22 12h30-14h30 Visit and discussions with M r . W . Falade, Registrar, U A C of Nigeria Limited. Inspected Registry Office and microfilming location.

15h00-14h30 Working session with D N A N and senior staff.

23 9h00-17h50 Excursion to Ibadan.

- 22 -

A N N E X II (cont'd)

24 9h00 Repairs to Computer. Ilh00-15h30 Visit to Personnel Management Department and Research and Planning. Discussions

with Deputy Director Mrs. D . D . W . Mbanefo and staff. Registry Offices inspected. 14h00-15h30 Working Session with D N A N .

25 Ilh00-15h30 Visit to the Establishment and Pensions Department, Civil Service Commission. Discussions with Director General, Mrs. Onafeke and staff. Registry Offices inspected.

16h30-17h30 Working session with D N A N .

26 Ilh50-15h30 Visit to Federal Board of Inland Revenue. Discussions with Chairman, M r . D . A . Olorunleke and staff. Registry Offices inspected.

27 Ilh00-15h30 Visit to the Office of the Presidency. Discussions with Director of Personnel Management, M r . Alhaji W . M . Aliyu. Registry Offices inspected.

16h30-17h30 Working session with D N A N and senior staff.

28-30 Drafting of Report.

Mr Van Albada

23

24

25

9h00 18h00-20h30 21h00-21h30

9h00 lOhOO 10h30 llhOO 14h00-17h00 19h30

8h00 17h00

Departure by car for Enugu zonal branch. Working session with Mrs C . A . U k w u , chief archivist, and senior staff. Interview by Mrs E . Okaro, for National Television Authority, channel 8 Enugu.

Enugu Z B : introduction of staff by Mrs C A . U k w u . Briefing of print and electronic press. Tour of Enugu Z B , covered by N T A and A B S Enugu News crews. Tour of Enugu Z B and of exhibition. Working session with chief-archivist and senior staff. Dinner party at Prof, and Mrs Ukwu's .

Departure by car for Kaduna zonal branch. Briefing by chief-archivist M r . F . O . Babalola.

26 lOhOO Introduction of staff of Kaduna Z B by chief-archivist. llhOO Briefing of print and electronic press. 12h00 Tour of Kaduna Z B and of exhibition. 14h00-16h00 Working session with chief-archivist and senior staff.

27 9h30 Visit of Arewa House, State Archives of Kaduna State (covered by N T A Kaduna News crew).

11.30 Visit of National M u s e u m (covered by N T A Kaduna News crew). 13hOO-15hOO Working session with chief-archivist and senior staff. 19h00 Dinner party at Fina White Hotel-Kaduna.

28 6h00 Departure by car for Lagos.

- 23 -

A N N E X II (cont'd)

Messrs Van Albada and Bower

29-30 Drafting of report.

M a y

1 10h00-10h30 Interview for Radio Nigeria's programme "Insight". llhOO Drafting of report.

2 lOhOO Working session with D N A N and senior staff. 12h00 Ministry of Information and Culture: reception by H o n . Minister Prince T . M o m o h . 13h00 Farewell party at Federal Palace Hotel. 15h00-15h30 Working session with D N A N .

3 llhOO Visit of National Museum. 21h00 Departure from Lagos Airport.

- 24 -

ANNEX III

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Akinfemiwa, A . "Keynote Address by the Deputy Director, National Archives of Nigeria. [Jos, Nigeria]: Second General Assembly of the West African Regional Branch of International Council on Archives ( W A R B I C A ) and International Seminar on Archives and Records Management, [Nov. 21-15, 1983] [6 pp.].

2. Akinfemiwa, A . "National Archives of Nigeria Situation Report". Jos, Nigeria: presented at the Second Annual General Assembly of West African Regional Branch International Council on Archives ( W A R B I C A ) , Nov. 21-25, 1983 [10 pp.].

3. Alegbeleye, Bunmi. "Towards an Integrated Records and Information Management System for Nigeria". Jos, Nigeria: a paper presented at the Second General Assembly of the West African Branch of International Council on Archives ( W A R B I C A ) and International Seminar on Archives and Records Management. Jos, Nigeria, Nov. 21-25, 1983 [9 pp.].

4 . Alegbeleye, G . O . "Archival Development in Nigeria". 's-Hertogenbosch: Janus 1988.2, pp. 9-11.

5. Alegbeleye, G . O . "Records and Information Management in the Service of Government Efficiency and Effectiveness", [n.l.]: [n.p.], [n.d.] [5 pp.].

6. "Archives Administration and Records Management in Nigeria: up the decades from amalgamation". [n.l.]: [n.p.], [n.d.] but after April 1985 [16 pp.].

7. Enwere, Joshua. "The Acquisition of Records: the Nigerian experience". Paris: The International Journal of Archives I (1980), pp. 44-49.

8. Department of Library, Archival and Information Studies Prospectus, 1987-1989. Nigeria: University of Ibadan, 1987.

9. Enwere, J.C. "Problems of Archives Administration and Records Management in English Speaking West African States". Jos, Nigeria: Second General Assembly of the West African Regional Branch of International Council on Archives, Nov. 21-15, 1983 [15 pp.].

10. "The Nigerian Archival Situation - a case study". Submitted by National Archives of Nigeria to U N E S C O . N o author cited. Ibadan, Nigeria: National Archives of Nigeria, (1973?)

11. Public Archives Ordinance [Nigeria], 1957, rev. 1960, rev. 1969. Paris: Archivum X X (1970), pp. 99-103.

12. "Report on the Fourth Meeting of the Executive Committee of W A R B I C A (West African Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives)". Ibadan, Nigeria: [n.p.], Jan. 17-19, 1983 [8 pp. plus annexes).

13. Thurston, A . et al. " A Review of Records Management and Archives Administration in West Africa". London: University College, October, 1988 [26 pp.].

Note: Additional readings were undertaken, but copies of the items went astray in the return mail preventing the presentation of the citations here.