New Nigerian Perspectives on the British Colonial ‘Migrated’ Archives

The British colonial ‘migrated’ archives came to prominence as the result of a case for compensation brought by five Kenyans – Ndiku Mutwiwa Mutua, Paulo Nzili, Wambugu wa Nyingi, Jane Muthoni Mara, and Susan Ngondi – who had suffered appalling abuse from British forces during the 1950s. The case forced the British government to admit in 2011 that it retained a little-known cache of thousands of files that had been removed from thirty-seven formerly colonised territories, including Nigeria, before they became independent. This removal of documents spanned the period from the independence of Sri Lanka in 1948 to Vanuatu in 1980. From 2012 to 2013, most of the removed colonial files were passed to the UK National Archives at Kew, where they are now available to researchers who are able to visit London.

The ‘migrated’ archives mentorship programme for Nigeria-based early career researchers arose from the issues of access to this collection. Because the removed files are still held in Britain, it has been challenging for researchers, and especially early career researchers, based in African, Asian, Caribbean, and Pacific countries to access them. The costs of travel, and Britain’s harsh and arbitrary visa regime, are significant obstacles to the wider and more inclusive research using the removed archives. As a result, much of the published research drawing on these records has been written by scholars based in Europe and North America.

What would Nigeria-based early career researchers make of the 413 files that colonial authorities removed from Nigeria to the UK? In what ways could Nigeria-based early career researchers mobilise this material in response to their own research questions and interests? This project aimed to make available digital images of files removed from Nigeria to Nigeria-based researchers interested in using them in their scholarship.

We hosted introductory events to introduce the programme in 2023 at the University of Ibadan (supported by IFRA-Nigeria) and at the Lagos Studies Association conference, asking for expressions of interest from Nigeria-based early career researchers. We recruited six onto the programme: Ilupeju Taariqa-Rahamat Adepeju (University of Lagos), Dr Abdullahi Garba (University of Maiduguri), Sarah Hope C. Menney-Amgbare (University of Port Harcourt), Ismail Musbahu (Ahmadu Bello University), Olabode Idris Olalekan (University of Ibadan), and Arogundade Nurudeen Olatoye (Osun State University). They selected files that seemed interesting and relevant to their research, which were then digitally transferred. Each early career researcher was also paired with a more established researcher to advise on their work. The six early career researchers presented their work-in-progress using the ‘migrated’ archives across two panels at the 2024 Lagos Studies Association conference.

Many thanks to everyone who generously supported this project. IFRA-Nigeria and the Lagos Studies Association supported the initiative from the outset. Prof Saheed Aderinto (Florida International University), Dr Mandy Banton (Institute of Commonwealth Studies, London), Prof Abosede George (Barnard College Columbia University), Dr Vincent Hiribarren (King’s College London), and Dr Jimoh Mufutau Oluwasegun (Federal University Birnin Kebbi) gave their time to support the early career researchers’ work. Thanks also to the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council for funding the project, which formed part of the Research, Development, and Engagement fellowship ‘Stolen archives? Re-evaluating the British ‘migrated’ archives and decolonisation’.

Northumbria University

tim.livsey@northumbria.ac.uk

Tim Livsey is Assistant Professor of History at Northumbria University in the UK and is currently Visiting Research Scholar at Princeton University in the US. He is the author of Nigeria’s University Age: Reframing Decolonisation and Development (2017), and was principal investigator on the ‘Stolen archives?’ project that ran from 2022 to 2024.

Ilupeju Taariqa-Rahamat Adepeju, University of Lagos

ilupejujunaid@gmail.com

Sarah Hope C. Menney-Amgbare, University of Port Harcourt

sarahamgbare@gmail.com

Ismail Musbahu, Ahmadu Bello University

ismailmusbahu15@gmail.com

Olabode Idris Olalekan, University of Ibadan

olabodeolalekan82@gmail.com

Arogundade Nurudeen Olatoye, Osun State University.

nurudeenamuda@gmail.com

Abdullahi Garba, University of Maiduguri