Between 1914 and 1938 the Colonial Office in London sent out three circular letters on the care and preservation of the records of the various administrations in the colonies. In some colonies these circular letters eventually resulted in the establishment of archival institutions by the Colonial administration. In Nigeria, however, the establishment of national archives came about as a result of the activities of the late Professor KO. Dike who, when he was preparing the thesis for a PhD, had to undertake field work in Nigeria. At this time he was shocked at the deplorable condition in which he found the non-current official records of the government. On his return to Nigeria he offered his services free of charge to rescue these records. He was commissioned in 1951 by the Nigerian government to undertake a survey of all government records in the country.