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The National Archives’ record collections on former British territories are an invaluable resource for researchers studying architectural history. In this blog, PhD student Adefola Toye considers how these and other records can be used for research into and beyond West Africa's colonial period.

In this blog, I explore how The National Archives’ records reflect West Africa's political evolution during the late colonial and early independence eras. This is based on my PhD research at the archives studying university architecture in mid-20th-century West Africa.

The institutions in focus are the colonial Nigerian College of Art, Science and Technology (1951) and those built after Nigeria’s independence in 1960. These include:

• University of Nigeria (1960)
• Ahmadu Bello University (1962)
• Obafemi Awolowo University (1962)
• University of Lagos (1962)

Colonial universities

Following the Second World War, British higher education commissions recommended the establishment of university colleges across formerly British-controlled colonies. This included West Africa. These higher education institutions were regulated by the Inter-University Council for Higher Education in the Colonies (IUC), which was established in March 1946.

The new universities would be funded through successive Colonial Development and Welfare Acts. These laws were designed to support development projects in the colonies in preparation for their independence. For example, the Acts helped fund the Nigerian University College Ibadan (UCI) in 1948, which was designed by renowned modernist architects Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew.

The library of University College Ibadan, Nigeria photographed between 1955–1964. Catalogue reference: INF 10/244

Through Discovery, The National Archives’ online catalogue, I was able to find records relating to this and other higher education institutions supported by the IUC. For instance, I found original correspondence about the UCI in the Colonial Office’s CO 554 West Africa series and the British Council’s BW 90 series which contains IUC papers. These records include maps, sketches and drawings of university buildings. I also found photographs of colonial development projects, including universities, in the INF 10 series. These visual records were invaluable to my research. This, combined with text-based records, enabled me to examine university design and construction within the political context of late colonial Nigeria.

Beyond this initial research, I wanted to assess whether The National Archives’ collection could shed light on other higher education institutions built outside of UCI. This is because less focus has traditionally been given to researching post-colonial higher education projects. I was particularly interested in the architecture of the lesser-known colonial Nigerian College of Art, Science and Technology (NCAST), as well as the four post-independence universities built immediately after Nigerian independence from British rule (as listed above). 

The changing scope of documentation

The quantity and depth of the records in the CO 554 series decreased as Nigeria approached independence. During this period, West African participation in governance increased as preparations were made for self-rule and increased local agency. This resulted in less information sharing and oversight by the colonial government in London. After Nigerian independence, documentation was further limited as new governments independently directed university construction plans. They still, however, had the support of the IUC and other British state bodies.

The available records on NCAST and the University of Nigeria, planned in the last years of British rule in Nigeria, illustrate this gradual decolonisation. The Nigerian College of Art, Science and Technology was the first of its kind in the British Empire. Unlike the colonial university colleges, it received less support from Colonial Development and Welfare Fund Acts. It did, however, have support from the British-based Advisory Committee for Colonial Colleges of Arts, Science and Technology.

NCAST’s construction was largely directed and sponsored by Nigeria, which gained an independent government under new colonial structures in 1954. This meant the UK Government had little involvement with the university. As a result, The National Archives’ records do not fully capture the day‑to‑day planning and construction process of the university.

To address this gap, I conducted a broader archival search focusing on the records of the National Archives of Nigeria. Its records from the Ministry of Education and Public Works Department have detailed information about the construction progress. Documents in these records highlight deliberations on selecting architects, contractors, and buildings to be funded by Colonial Development and Welfare grants before they were reported to London. The papers of college administrators like Dr Cecil Hart, held at the Oxford Bodleian Library, also include correspondence between the college, academic advisers and architects.

Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology (NCAST) Campus in Zaria. Catalogue reference: INF 10/244

The increasing agency of government is evident through the development of the University of Nigeria, which was planned in the 1950s by the Eastern Nigerian Government. Unlike NCAST, the university development was solely financed by the Nigerian Government, who chose to follow an American, not British, model of academic planning. As a result, British influence was limited to academic advisory roles.

The documents in the CO 554 files demonstrate this sidelining of colonial government on the University of Nigeria project. Aside from the limited correspondence between colonial administrators in London and Nigeria, the files contain numerous excerpts from Nigerian newspapers, national broadcasts and parliamentary debates regarding university funding and construction. This suggests that British officials had to search for information about the project externally due to the limited direct communication they received. Other CO 554 records from this project include minutes of meetings with potential American funders, Nigerian politicians, and British architects involved in the project. Through these records, I was able to monitor the extent of American influence through the university’s construction progress.

Due to the gaps in information within these records, I again consulted other archives including the National Archives of Nigeria, the archives of Nigerian universities and the archive of Michigan State University. By looking at this range of sources together, my study could situate the architecture and construction of higher education institutions within their political context.

The layout of the University of Nigeria campus in 1962. Catalogue reference: BW 90/609

Post-independence universities

The names and functions of colonial advisory bodies evolved as territories gained independence and joined the Commonwealth of Nations. The Inter-University Council for Higher Education in the Colonies became the Inter-University Council for Higher Education Overseas. Likewise, the Colonial Colleges of Art Science and Technology was renamed the Council of Colleges of Art Science and Technology, while NCAST was integrated into new Nigerian universities. By this time, the IUC’s role was confined to academic advice, with little influence over campus design and construction.

To address the limited information of the CO 554 and BW 90 series after independence (caused by the decolonisation process), I focused on how political developments impacted the origin of departmental records within The National Archives' collection. This meant identifying records created and/or inherited by the departments involved in advising and funding higher education outside of the UK.

Following independence, the Commonwealth Relations Office took over Nigeria’s political and diplomatic matters from the Colonial Office. Its records are catalogued in the Africa division of the DO department records. Similarly, the administration of development grants to Nigeria was handed over to the Department of Technical Co-operation (DTC) whose records can be found in the OD 17 series.

Independence gift

The DO and OD 17 records highlight a £5 million ‘independence gift’. This was a cash grant to Nigerian higher educational institutions from Britain given in the 1960s.

Both departments’ records show correspondence between its officials, the Nigerian Government, university administrators and architects about the grant. The series show their different perspectives and roles within the grant’s administration. The unique focuses of each record series enabled me to conduct a more nuanced analysis.

For example, the DO series records detail the grant’s conditions for British building services and goods. The records also show the subsequent negotiations with Nigerian officials who advocated for the appointment of Nigerian architects and contractors. Meanwhile, the OD 17 series includes discussions with university administrators and architects regarding the buildings to be funded by the grant. These varied viewpoints on the funding of university projects show how Nigerian university campuses were negotiated and built by a network of financers, advisers and building professionals.

Final reflections on this research

Navigating The National Archives’ records for my PhD research on the architectural history of post-colonial West African universities mirrored the shifting political landscape of the mid-20th century. The oversight and corresponding documentation of development projects in postwar West Africa decreased as independence approached. At the same time, responsibilities of the Colonial Office transferred to other departments as former colonies joined the Commonwealth. Based on these findings, my research argues for the need to examine archives across geographies and institutions to prevent a singular historical narrative, and to fill the knowledge gaps that no one archive can address.

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