You have to go back 112 years to find the most consequential January 1 in Nigerian history. Frederick Lugard formally proclaimed the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates in 1914. It’s why you’re reading this today.

59 years later, in 1973, the naira became Nigeria’s official legal tender. The currency isn’t in great shape at the moment, but it was a serious statement at the time. For starters, it was stronger than the dollar, a declaration of intent about what kind of country Nigeria could be.

This year’s January 1 will not redraw borders or introduce a new currency, but it could be an opportunity for you to shape how Nigeria’s story is remembered.

Last year was Archivi.ng’s strongest since launch, marked by clear forward momentum.

• We raised the number of digitised pages to over 200k.
• More than 900k people came looking for answers in the archive, engaged with artefacts we shared across the internet, or found one someone else had shared.
• Fela: Fear No Man, a podcast by Jad Abumrad, enriched by our archival material, ranked among the world’s most critically acclaimed podcasts of the year.
• We wrapped up the first cohort of The Archivi.ng Fellowship and launched the second.
• We organised our first public showcase, The August Event.

That is a lot of progress from when Archivi.ng began with a single tweet, then evolved into a conversation, and ultimately took shape as a concept note brought to life by a community that’s deeply invested in meaning. Still, we’ve barely scratched the surface.

2026 is a make-or-break year for Archivi.ng

By December 31 this year, we want to have digitised and made 800,000 pages of Nigerian history accessible to the public, launched the third cohort of The Archivi.ng Fellowship, and pushed deeper into new formats and ways of engaging the archive.

This work matters. Nigeria’s cultural and political memory depends on it. But it is expensive work. That’s why we launched Archivi.ng Memberships, a way for you to support this work through regular monthly or annual contributions.

In 2026, we must become undeniable or get left in the past like the history we’re working to preserve. To put us in the driving seat of our own destiny, we need you to go from cheering from the sidelines to stepping into the ring.

You can always look back on this January 1 as the moment in history you decided to become an Archivi.ng member.

One final thing

We’re making a slight change to when you receive this dispatch in 2026. Rather than the first day of the month, it’s now the 27th.

See you again later this month.