The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has initiated a capacity-building workshop for Public Affairs Officers (PAOs) focused on archiving, cataloguing, and documentation.
This workshop is part of INEC’s efforts to strengthen institutional memory in preparation for the 2027 General Election.
Held in Abuja under the theme “Preserving Institutional Memory Through Effective Archiving and Documentation,” the workshop continues the capacity-building program for PAOs that began on Tuesday, emphasizing strategic communication.
In her welcome remarks, Mrs. Victoria Eta-Messi, the Director of Voter Education and Publicity, highlighted that archiving and documentation are critical components of the Commission’s operations.
She emphasized that proper preservation of records will enable INEC to learn from previous electoral cycles and enhance its processes.
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Eta-Messi noted that the Graphic, Library, and Documentation (GLD) Division, being the newest within the department, requires strengthened capacity across the states to effectively fulfill its responsibilities.
She urged participants to take the training seriously and apply the knowledge gained in their respective offices.
She explained that proper archiving would help the Commission preserve its processes and institutional knowledge “for posterity, reference, and lesson learning.”
Eta-Messi pointed out that records from previous electoral cycles are sometimes left in boxes or poorly organized, making it challenging for the Commission to conduct comparative analyses and learn from past experiences. She encouraged PAOs to support the department and the Commission in fulfilling their archiving and documentation responsibilities.
Mr. Adedayo Oketola, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, also stressed the importance of this initiative, especially as the Commission prepares for the 2027 elections. He echoed the remarks of the Director of Voter Education and Publicity and encouraged participants to make effective use of the training.
Discussing the objectives of the workshop, Mrs. Perpetua Obiageri Aligwara, the Deputy Director of Graphic, Library, and Documentation, stated that every election cycle generates crucial decisions, procedures, and lessons essential for the Commission’s continuity.
She said Voter Education and Publicity Department considered structured archiving and documentation a core capacity-building priority as Commission prepares for 2027.
Aligwara identified loss of procedural knowledge, inconsistent application of guidelines across state and local offices, and difficulties in explaining rationale behind previous decisions as some risks associated with poor records management.
She stressed need for central and secure archive for election guidelines, results documentation, litigation records, post-election reviews and other activities including written and pictorial records.
She said effective documentation would help safeguard consistency, transparency and public confidence across election cycles.
Resource person, Mr. Osarome Ogbebor, took participants through records creation and filing practices, information organisation, basics of cataloguing and classification and management of records throughout their lifecycle.
Another resource person, Mr. Elijah Olawale Azeez, focused on protection of institutional records and control of access.
The two-day training is expected to equip PAOs with practical knowledge and skills to support effective archiving, cataloguing, documentation and preservation of Commission’s institutional records.