PublicRecords.ng
PublicRecords.ng is a citizen-driven digital archive established to collect, preserve, and provide open access to Nigeria’s public and historical records. It is an initiative of the Institute for Historical Studies, Biographical Research, Documentation and Legacy (IHS-BiRD & L), created to safeguard Nigeria’s institutional memory and strengthen transparency through technology.
Across Nigeria, critical documents: gazettes, court judgments, legislative acts, bylaws, budget reports, electoral records, institutional publications, and historical materials are often fragmented, difficult to access, or at risk of permanent loss. PublicRecords.ng addresses this gap by creating a structured, searchable, and permanent digital repository where these records can be preserved and made accessible to all.
What the Project Does
PublicRecords.ng functions as an open digital archive where:
- Citizens, families, institutions, and researchers can upload non-confidential public records.
- Documents are reviewed for authenticity, legality, and proper classification.
- Each record is described using structured metadata to ensure traceability and ease of retrieval.
- Approved materials are indexed and made freely searchable online.
The platform supports multiple formats, including scanned documents, images, audio, and video files.
Scope of the Archive
The archive is organised into major record categories, including:
- Government and Administrative Records
- Legal and Judicial Records
- Legislative and Electoral Records
- Financial and Economic Records
- Educational and Institutional Records
- Health, Demographic, and Social Records
- Environmental and Infrastructure Records
- Media and Public Communication Records
- Security and Defence Records
- Historical, Biographical, and Civic Archives
- Literary, creative, and intellectual works
This broad scope ensures that Nigeria’s governance history, institutional development, community memory, and civic life are documented in one accessible national hub.
Why It Matters
Public records are the backbone of accountability and historical truth. When access to information is limited, research weakens, transparency declines, and memory fades.
PublicRecords.ng exists to:
- Preserve endangered or scattered documents
- Improve public access to governance records
- Support research, journalism, and civic education
- Protect personal and communal memory of historical significance
- Strengthen Nigeria’s digital heritage infrastructure
Every contribution enriches the collective archive of Nigeria’s story.
Vision and Impact
Vision: To become Nigeria’s most trusted open-access digital archive of public and historical records.
Mission: To collect, digitise, categorise, and provide open access to Nigeria’s non-confidential government, institutional, and historically significant personal records.
By combining technology with citizen participation, PublicRecords.ng transforms record preservation from a closed bureaucratic function into a participatory civic movement. It is not merely a website; it is a national effort to ensure that Nigeria’s documentary heritage remains accessible, verifiable, and preserved for generations to come.
In preserving records, we preserve memory.
In preserving memory, we protect the future.
