By Henry Akubuiro
A new twist has been added to the cold war between the Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku-Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, and the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, over who will take possession of the over 1130 Benin bronze artefacts illegally taken to Germany many years ago.
Addressing a press conference yesterday, in Lagos, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said artefacts, which the German government agreed to return to the country soon, would be kept by the Federal Government.
“The Federal Government is aware of the widely-reported controversy on who will take possession of the Benin bronzes when they are returned from Germany. Let me state clearly here that in line with international best practice and the operative conventions and laws, the return of the artefacts is being negotiated bilaterally between the national governments of Nigeria and Germany.
“Nigeria is the entity recognised by international law as the authority in control of antiquities originating from Nigeria. The relevant international conventions treat heritage properties as properties belonging to the nation and not to individuals or subnational groups. For example, the 1970 UNESCO Convention, in its Article 1, defines cultural property as property specifically designated by that nation. This allows individual nations to determine what it regards as its cultural property.
“Nevertheless, the Nigerian state, through the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture and the National Commission for Museums and Monuments has, in working assiduously over the past years to repatriate our looted artefacts, carried along our important traditional institutions and state governments.
“What I am saying in essence is that the Federal Government will take possession of these antiquities, because it is its duty to do so, in line with the extant laws. But we have always exercised this right taking cognisance of that culture that produced the artworks. That is why the Ministry of Information and Culture and the National Commission for Museums and Monuments have always involved both the Edo State government and the Royal Benin Palace in discussions and negotiations that have now resulted in the impending return of these antiquities,” Mohammed said.
The minister added that his ministry wasn’t just involved in the repatriation of Benin artefacts but was also working on repatriating Ife bronzes and Terracotta, Nok Terracotta, Owo Terracotta, the arts of the Benue River Valley, the Igbo Ukwu, the arts of Bida, the arts of Igala, Jukun etcetera.
He said the ministry made commendable efforts over the Igbo statues that were auctioned at Christie’s in 2020 and also took the British and Belgian authorities to ICPRCP in 2019 over an Ife object.
He commended the government of Germany for taking the lead in the global efforts to repatriate all artefacts that were looted from Nigeria and from the African, hoping that it would sustain that lead.