Archival Reparations and Restitution of Colonial Records: A Policy Framework for Nigeria’s National Archives

This study develops a policy framework for archival reparations and the restitution of colonial-era records to Nigeria's National Archives, addressing a critical gap at the intersection of archival science, post-colonial justice, and international cultural property law. Millions of Nigerian administrative, ethnographic, and political records created during British colonial administration (1861 to 1960) remain held in British, European, and American archives, depriving Nigeria's institutions and communities of primary evidence of their own histories. The research employs a policy analysis and framework development methodology in three phases. Phase One conducts a comprehensive review of existing colonial records restitution law, international archival ethics codes (ICA Code of Ethics, Universal Declaration on Archives), and Nigerian archival policy, with documentary analysis of 180 sources from 1960 to 2024. Phase Two collects qualitative evidence through fifty interviews with Nigerian historians, archivists, lawyers, diplomats, and government officials, and through six focus groups with community representatives from ethnic communities whose historical records are held abroad. Phase Three synthesises findings into a draft Nigeria Colonial Records Restitution Policy Framework, validated through a national stakeholder consultative symposium. The resulting framework makes an original contribution to post-colonial archival theory and international archival diplomacy. Recommendations target the National Archives Commission, the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the International Council on Archives. Keywords: archival reparations, colonial records, restitution, National Archives Nigeria, post-colonial archival policy