National Archives of Nigeria


The National Archives of Nigeria has its headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, with branches in Enugu, Ibadan, and Kaduna.The National Archives Kaduna is located at 6 Yakubu Gowon Way, Kaduna. As of 2024, the current Director of Archives is Mrs Evelyn Odigbo.

History of Ibadan archive

Professor Kenneth Onwuka Dike did a survey of Nigerian public records from 1951 to 1953. Based on what was found, he made a recommendation to have a public record office. This led to the founding of the Nigerian Record Office on April 1, 1954. In 1957, the Public Archives Ordinance No. 43 was enacted and became effective on November 14, 1957. It changed the name of the archives to become the National Archives of Nigeria.
The archive was housed at the University of Ibadan until 1958.
The Federal Government provided £51,000 to create the first permanent building in Ibadan in the First Economic Programme, 1955–60. This building officially opened on January 9, 1959.

Past Leadership

  • Kenneth Dike was originally appointed the Government Supervisor of Public Records and then the Director of the Archives from 1954 to 1963. He is also considered to be the father of the Nigerian Archives.
  • Lloyd C. Gwam followed soon afterwards on April 1, 1964, to become the Director of the Archives until his death on July 2, 1965.
  • S.O. Sowoolu succeeded Mr. Gwam and is credited for starting the expansion of the archives.

    Locations

The National Archives of Nigeria has fifteen offices. The three main archive locations are zonal offices. Each location keeps records of colonial administration relating to its particular region, along with newspapers and official government publications.

Zonal offices

  • Enugu
  • Ibadan
  • Kaduna

    Branch offices

  • Abeokuta
  • Abuja
  • Akure
  • Benin
  • Calabar
  • Ilorin
  • Jos
  • Lagos
  • Maiduguri
  • Owerri
  • Port Harcourt
  • Sokoto

    Professional memberships

National