Lagos State Records and Archives Bureau,LASRAB, has pleaded with Lagos residents to bring their high-value records and archives of enduring value to the bureau for management and safekeeping.

Its Director-General, Biodun Onayele, said the appeal became necessary in view of the fact that many families did not know that high-value documents should be kept in archives.

According to Onayele, keeping records will help society to know the extent of sacrifices people made to get their generations to become what they are in life.

He said the poor record keeping culture of Nigerians was responsible for the decadence found in the society, regretting that this had also led to criminality among people who could neither understand nor project good image of themselves or their families.

Stressing the importance of record keeping, Onayele said a lack of record-keeping was the reason for so many anomalies in our society.

The director-general listed records that could be kept with the bureau as files of decided court cases, receipts of transactions of any kind, photographs, plans for development of property of any kind, newspapers, documents and certificates.

According to him, the bureau, which was established in 2007, has records dating back to hundreds of years, saying some of the records with the bureau include policy files, security information and videos, programme of events and brochures.

Onayele inform that plans and drawings of all Lagos State-funded projects like road constructions were kept with the bureau in hard copy and compact disc.

The director-general said the services of the bureau were open to individuals and organisations seeking research or undertaking projects and other interests.

He advised that people should not allow their cultural tendencies of suspicion and secrecy to hinder them from doing the right things in keeping valuable records.

Onayele, applauded the Federal Government’s plan to reintroduce history in the curriculum of schools, saying that removal of history from school’s curriculum was a sad development for Nigeria.

According to him, the disregard for history in the education system is responsible for the current decadence in the country, arguing that sense of patriotism for the average Nigerian was distorted with the nation’s history being relegated to the background.

Onayele said in the past, history commanded respect and when people read the story of great Nigerians like Nnamdi Azikiwe, Ahmadu Bello and Obafemi and how they became heroes, they were challenged to become passionate for their heritage.

He said on his part, he would do all he could to ensure the reintroduction of history in Lagos State schools, saying LASRAB had decided to embark and focus more on record accessioning as a way of keeping records of communities in the state.

He explained that records accessioning and preservation meant surveying and acquisition of non-current records of the Lagos State’s ministries, departments and agencies for preservation with the bureau.