This month, we found a story in the archive that became the most viral piece of Nigerian history we’ve ever shared.

In the early 1970s, a young Nigerian student, Mudashiru Ayeni, built a battery-powered robot office assistant. He wanted to present it to Nigeria’s head of state, Yakubu Gowon. Instead, school authorities sent him to a psychiatrist. They called him “Mad Muda.”

Even after doctors certified him to be of sound mind, Ayeni never found the support, funding, or environment needed to nurture his work. 

Fifty years later, in a world transformed by technology, many people online now describe him as a man ahead of his time.

Every story from Nigeria’s past that Archivi.ng brings back into the present gives people like Mudashiru Ayeni a chance to be remembered, to have their lives and ideas acknowledged.

We need your support to sustain the work.

What Happened in February 2026

Two million views for one story

• That Mad Muda post went everywhere. On our own platforms, it was viewed close to two million times, drawing nearly 100,000 engagements from people within and outside Nigeria.
• The story also travelled to distant corners of the internet, from Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Tiktok and Facebook to platforms like Nairaland and LegitNG, and even found its way into tech publications such as Technext.
• We also published the first story of this quarter’s The Archivist issue. As mentioned in January, the issue focuses on ordinary Nigerians. While the opening story centres on Umanah E. Umanah, who ran a Ponzi scheme until his first arrest in the 1990s, it is really about the half a million Nigerians who trusted him with their money, and the millions more who continue to do the same with similar Ponzi schemes today. You should read it here.
• By the end of February, our work had reached close to seven million impressions, sparked over 300,000 engagements, and brought nearly 7,000 new people into our community.
• We were not able to publish other stories as planned in February. The upside is that March will be fuller. You will be getting four new stories from The Archivist. It sounds like fun to me, and I hope it excites you too.

The scanning ministry is moving

• After technical delays that lasted too long, our scanning operation is finally regaining momentum.
• This month, we digitised over 4,000 pages from Prime People and Vintage People from the late 1980s and early 1990s, as well as Spear magazine from the 1960s and 1970s.

Search just got smoother

• Until last month, finding full newspaper editions on our website required too much effort. Now, with a simple tap on “Read full edition” at the top right of any newspaper page, you can move through that specific day’s edition in full and in proper order. 

What’s Next: March 2025

March is International Women’s Month, and a great time to explore all the wonderful women who have contributed to Nigerian history in big and small ways.

Every single day next month, we will spotlight at least one Nigerian woman from history. Some achieved remarkable things. Others observed the world around them, documented the lives and struggles of their communities, or resisted injustice and social expectation. Some simply lived on their own terms. We will explore the problems they faced, the ones they solved, and the joy they carved out within their realities.

When you get the next dispatch, there will be a lot to unpack about all the discoveries we made.

See you on March 27.