LASRAB SET TO UPGRADE STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY ARCHIVES

In continuation of the sensitization visits to various Ministries, Departments and Agencies to acquaint them of the activities of Lagos State Records and Archives Bureau (LASRAB), the Director-General, Mr. Biodun Onayele has paid a courtesy visit to the Lagos State House of Assembly.

Speaking during the visit, the Director-General appreciated the State House of Assembly for being responsible for the enactment of the law which established LASRAB. He commended the concern of the Assembly in seeking professional advice from the Bureau towards improving and updating of the House of Assembly in-house Archives.

He further stated that referral services are part of the functions of the Bureau where types of equipment, shelves, files and software can be outsourced with minimum cost and that modern records and archives preservation is driven by Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

The second prong of the visit was Mr. Onayele’s assurance to the Assembly that staff of the Bureau will play their oversight role in ensuring that the Assembly’s Registry conforms with best practices expected in all Registries in the State Public Service in terms of capacity building and proffer solutions to various challenges that may be discovered.

While appreciating the State Assembly for the desire and conscious effort to maintain and improve records and archives management, Onayele informed that there is a need for the legislature to forward all publications of enduring value to the Bureau for preservation and public consultation.

In response, the Clerk of the House, Mr. Azeez Sanni who received the Director-General and his team on behalf of the Assembly expressed his gratitude to the Bureau for the visit to the Lagos State House of Assembly and commended the Bureau for the current role it is playing in records and archival development of the State.

He said the House would also accord the Bureau the necessary cooperation and collaboration towards upgrading the Assembly Archives to conform with the international standards expected of a Smart City.

In the same vein, LASRAB has paid a similar visit to the Public Service Staff Development Centre (PSSDC) to sensitize them on the statutory functions of the Bureau which include regulating, preserving and disseminating accurate records on Lagos State.

According to Mr. Onayele, the visit was also necessary to further build on the existing working relationship between the Bureau and the Centre which is in charge of capacity building for Civil Servants in the State.

He noted that the visit has gone a long way in creating awareness on the establishment of the Bureau and teaching the participants the importance of records and archives management in their various Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the State Government.