From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, have charged officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army Department of Military Secretary, to be efficient on Record Keeping and data management for effective administration of the service.
The COAS, gave the charge at the opening of the maiden Army Headquarters Department of Military Secretary Data Management and Record Keeping Training Seminar holding in Abuja.
Represented by the Chief of Administration Major General Jimmy Akpor, Lagbaja, said the seminar was crucial to the army having been operating in a multi-dimensional environment, particularly in the cyber and media domains, while also being actively involved in several operations across the the country
He said the situation have brought to the forefront the critical need for efficient data management and record keeping to engender effective administration of the Nigerian army.
“It equally supports my philosophy “to transform the Nigerian Army into a well-trained, equipped and highly motivated force towards achieving its constitutional responsibilities within a joint environment.
The army Chief said that the seminar with the theme, “Enhancing Professionalism in Data Management and Record Keeping System for Effective Administration of the Nigerian Army”, was one of a series of activities scheduled for the year in the Nigerian Army Forecast of Events.
Lagbaja, while commending the department of Military Secretary for organising the seminar, said it demonstrated the commitment of the officer to improving their proficiency in data management, record keeping, cyber security, and document security and charged the participants to seize the opportunity to enhance their skills and knowledge with a view to applying it to their respective roles and achieve greater heights of professionalism and effectiveness in the army.
He said “This Seminar therefore, presents a unique opportunity for participants to gain requisite knowledge and skills with which to improve the general administration of the Nigerian Army.
“The Seminar will undoubtedly enrich your knowledge and motivate you towards achieving your role in the accomplishment of the overall constitutional responsibilities of the Army.”
Earlier in his address, the Military Secretary(Army), Major General Folusho Oyinlola, said the Seminar, which is the first of its kind, was borne out of the critical necessity to streamline and enhance data management and record keeping practices within the Nigerian Army in this cyber and media age.
Oyinlola, who described the seminar as a significant milestone in our collective pursuit of excellence in data management and record keeping within the Nigerian Army, said “Data management and record keeping ensure that institutional data and records of vital historical, fiscal and legal value among others are preserved. “Accordingly, offices such as AHQ DOAA, AHQ Dept of MS, AHQ DPM as well as various corps and Division Records Offices were established to facilitate effective collection, collation and management of NA data and records.
He said “It has however been observed that data collection and record keeping have been abysmal across the NA in the past few years. This could be due to a host of reasons, prominent amongst which are the attitude of personnel whose responsibility it is to maintain data and records; as well as the misguided notion that data collection and accurate record keeping is the responsibility of AHQ DOAA, AHQ Dept of MS and DPM only.
He said “Though these offices have statutory responsibilities to collect and maintain certain NA data and records, data management and record keeping in general are a collective duty which requires the efforts of all corps, formations and departments. For instance, while AHQ Dept of MS can provide accurate data and records on all NA officers, it cannot provide data such as official portraits of officers who rose to become PSOs or GOCs.
This sort of information can only be furnished by the respective department and formation.
“The knowledge and best practices that will be shared during this Seminar will therefore be instrumental in enabling us maintain accurate records, facilitate informed decision-making and optimise our overall effectiveness in the administration of the NA.