FG, Imo poised to lead Nigeria’s data preservation drive
Nigeria’s public sector has been urged to treat the preservation of data and public records as critical infrastructure, alongside roads, electricity and water, as part of efforts to build trust, enable innovation and safeguard institutional memory. This call came at the Piql West Africa Public Sector Breakfast Meeting held in Abuja, where representatives of the […]
Nigeria’s public sector has been urged to treat the preservation of data and public records as critical infrastructure, alongside roads, electricity and water, as part of efforts to build trust, enable innovation and safeguard institutional memory.
This call came at the Piql West Africa Public Sector Breakfast Meeting held in Abuja, where representatives of the Federal Government, the National Archives, and cultural and research institutions gathered to discuss how to future-proof Nigeria’s public records.
Delivering remarks on behalf of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, officials endorsed the ongoing collaboration between the National Archives and Norwegian digital preservation company Piql, describing it as a step towards building a “secure, accessible and future-proof national data repository.”
The SGF’s office linked the initiative directly to Nigeria’s goal of building a trillion-dollar economy by 2030, arguing that dependable public records underpin growth, investor confidence and good governance.
Evelyn Odigboh, Director of the National Archives, cautioned that Nigeria risks losing its institutional memory if long-term preservation is not prioritised.
“These records are not relics,” she said. “A nation without archives is like a person without memory, unable to chart a clear path to the future. Digitisation is not enough; we must preserve records in formats that will remain tamper-evident, accessible and verifiable for generations.”
Odigboh’s remarks echoed a central theme of the forum: digitisation is not preservation. While digitisation makes records searchable, participants stressed that it does little to guarantee their integrity over decades. Cloud systems can fail, file formats become obsolete, and data can be altered without a trace.
Piql’s solution, which writes data to offline, tamper-evident film stored both locally and in Norway’s Arctic World Archive, was showcased as a way to guarantee authenticity and sovereignty while insulating records from cyberattacks and software obsolescence.
Two prominent voices from Imo State highlighted the state’s willingness to act as a proving ground for large-scale digital preservation.
Professor Emeka Oguzie of the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) said durable records would improve research reproducibility, compliance with international grant requirements, and technology transfer.
Sir Terence Onyejiaku, Director-General of the Imo Data Management Centre, committed to exploring Piql’s system for authenticating and safeguarding key public records. He identified land registries and cadastral data as a priority area where tamper-evident archives could prevent costly disputes, speed up mortgages, and improve access to credit.
Observers noted that Imo could set an example for other states by building a reference architecture for trustworthy public memory, combining FUTO’s technical expertise, the Data Management Centre’s operational capacity, and private sector input.
The Abuja meeting brought together stakeholders from across government, academia, defence, and culture. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) delegation stressed the importance of institutional memory for regulatory credibility, while data protection officials highlighted the need for audit trails and lawful retention under the NDPR.
Cultural policymakers also weighed in. Obi Asika, Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), argued that heritage preservation should be treated as a policy priority and integrated with technology rather than left as a symbolic gesture.
Breakout sessions tackled sensitive issues such as classification, security, lawful access, and how to integrate endangered private archives, such as royal houses and artists’ collections into a national framework.
Organisers said the next step is to consolidate ongoing pilot projects into a state-level programme within 12 to 18 months, with the aim of developing a Nigerian preservation facility that meets global standards.
They also announced plans for a 2026 mission to the Arctic World Archive, which would inaugurate Africa’s first large-scale deposit of sovereign records in the vault, providing long-term resilience against loss or tampering.
Analysts say the economic case is strong. Reliable archives reduce litigation, speed up audits, improve investor due diligence and provide each administration with verified records of past decisions.
“Preservation may be slow and unglamorous, but it is the plumbing of a modern economy,” said one participant. “States that take it seriously will save time, money and disputes. Imo now has a chance to lead by example.”