By Sumaila Ogbaje
The Nigerian Army has intensified efforts to strengthen personnel administration and institutional accountability through improved data management and records keeping.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, stated this on Tuesday in Abuja at the opening of the fourth edition of the Army Headquarters Department of Military Secretary Data Management and Record Keeping Seminar.
Shaibu, represented by Maj.-Gen. Eyitayo Oyinlola, Dean, Faculty of Combat Arm Research, Nigerian Army Heritage and Future Centre, said accurate data remained critical to the army’s transformation agenda.
He said decisions on recruitment, postings, promotions, welfare, logistics, operational planning and strategic policies were only as sound as the data upon which they were based.
“Every decision on commissioning, recruitment, postings, promotions, welfare, logistics, operational planning and strategic policy is only as sound as the quality of the data upon which it is based,” he said.
The COAS said data had evolved from a routine administrative requirement into a strategic institutional asset supporting decision-making, organisational memory, accountability and operational readiness.
He said the Army’s increasing adoption of digital technologies made secure, reliable and timely management of official records even more critical.
Shaibu said the seminar, is with theme:”Efficient Data Management and Record Keeping: Imperative for Advancing Transformation of the Nigerian Army,” was therefore timely and relevant.
He said the seminar would help standardise records-management practices and improve data quality across Army formations, units, corps and establishments.
The COAS urged participants to use the platform to share experiences, identify challenges and develop practical solutions that could improve data administration across the service.
He also yasked the Department of Military Secretary to sustain reforms aimed at improving the integrity, accessibility, security and standardisation of personnel records.
Earlier, the Acting Military Secretary, Brig.-Gen. Olawale Oyekola, said reliable data and effective records management were indispensable to efficient personnel administration.
Oyekola said decisions concerning appointments, postings, promotions and career management depended heavily on accurate and accessible records.
“Put simply, what an institution cannot properly record, it cannot effectively manage,” he said.
He said the seminar was conceived to equip participants with skills in digital records management, information assurance, cybersecurity and risk analysis.
According to him, the initiative was instituted under the former Military Secretary, Maj.-Gen. Dey Salam, as a dedicated platform for addressing data management and records-keeping challenges in the Army.
Oyekola said the initiative had since become an important component of efforts to improve personnel administration and institutional efficiency.
He urged participants to ensure that knowledge acquired during the seminar translated into measurable improvements in their respective formations, units and establishments.
“The success of this seminar should not be measured solely by the quality of presentations delivered here, but by the changes it produces in the way we manage information and conduct our responsibilities afterwards,” he said.
The Acting Military Secretary said accuracy, accessibility and speed must remain priorities in managing personnel information, supported by established standard operating procedures.
He added that safeguarding sensitive information, controlling access and strengthening quality assurance were essential to protecting institutional accountability.
The seminar brought together participants from Defence Headquarters, Army Headquarters departments, formations, corps, establishments, units and sister services.
The seminar is expected to generate practical recommendations for strengthening data governance and records management as the Nigerian Army advances its digital transformation agenda. (NAN)
