We Won’t Accept Attempts To Divert Looted Artifacts

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The Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, on Friday, warned that anyone,
group, organisation, or government dealing with any organisation or
artificial group in the process of returning the looted artefacts
from the Benin kingdom would be doing so against the will of the
people of Benin kingdom.

Oba of Benin declared that the artefacts stolen from the Benin
palace during the 1897 invasion of the then Benin Empire, known in
history as the Benin Massacre of 1897, remained the property of the
Benin people as represented by the palace.

‎Oba Ewuare II gave the warning at a meeting with Palace Chiefs
and Enigies (Dukes) on the repatriation of the looted artefacts,
against the background that Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State
had initiated moves to have the proposed returned artworks housed
in a new museum to be known as Edo Museum of West African Arts
(EMOWAA), to be built by the state government and a private
initiative.

The Oba stressed that there was no alternative native authority
and custodian of the cultural heritage of the Benin kingdom outside
the Oba of Benin as constituted by the Royal Palace.

“I do not believe that the move by a privately registered
company, the Legacy Restoration Trust, Ltd. and the purported
establishment of Edo Museum of West African Arts (EMOWAA) are in
consonance with the wishes of the people of Benin Kingdom,” the Oba
said.

The Benin monarch, whose address was read by the Iyase of Benin,
Chief Sam Igbe, narrated that shortly after his ascension to the
throne, he had several discussions with Governor Obaseki, on the
plan for the Benin Royal Museum and the governor expressed his
readiness to work with the Palace to actualize the laudable wish of
the monarch’s late father, Oba Erediauwa.

“I made efforts and acquired additional plots of land from
different families within the Adesogbe area near the present-day
palace for this purpose.

“I was, however, surprised to read from the Governor’s letter to
the Palace where reference was being made to the fact that a new
Museum to be known as EMOWAA is now being proposed, which will be
funded and executed through the vehicle of another body now
referred to as Legacy Restoration Trust. When Governor Godwin
Obaseki informed me in his correspondence of another implementation
framework using the so-called Legacy Restoration Trust and the Edo
Museum of West Africa Arts (EMOWAA), my response was that the
setting up of another organization or legal entity in whatever form
or guise will not be necessary nor acceptable.

“I informed him that Oba Ewuare II Foundation has been
registered with the CAC and has worked out a framework for not only
receiving the artefacts but also building a modern structure – The
Benin Royal Museum – within the precincts of the Palace and that
land has been secured for the building of the Benin Royal Museum
under the supervision of the traditional institution.

“But for reasons best known to him the governor has gone against
the understanding, given recent events. As a matter of fact, the
people of Benin kingdom and other stakeholders especially the Benin
Dialogue Group, had at different meetings endorsed the Benin Royal
Museum to be built within the Palace, as well as endorsing the Oba
Ewuare II Foundation for fundraising and other requisite
administration processes,” the Oba said.

He, therefore, called on the Federal Government to take custody
of the artefacts on behalf of the Palace until the Benin Royal
Museum is ready for their collection.

The Oba further warned that “Under no circumstances should
custody of our age-old artefacts be handed to any privately
contrived entity like the Legacy Restoration Trust.”

He noted that the advocacy and demands for the return of the
artefacts looted from the Benin Kingdom in 1897 have been going on
for decades before the emergence of the incumbent Governor of Edo
State, Mr Godwin Obaseki, even as he thanked the governor for
joining the struggle and showing commitment to retrieve the stolen
cultural heritage from Europe.

“While anticipating the return of the looted artefacts from
Europe, I want to note that attempts to divert the destination or
the right of custody of the artefacts are not in the interest of
the people of the Benin Kingdom to whom the Palace of the Oba of
Benin provides leadership. The looted artefacts awaiting
repatriation from Europe are the cultural heritage of the Benin
Kingdom created by our ancestors and forefathers within the
traditional norms and rites of the kingdom.

“They are not the property of the state government or any
private corporate entity that is not a creation of the Benin
kingdom. The right and only legitimate destination for the
artefacts to be repatriated as already pronounced by my father is
under the aegis of the Benin Royal Museum that will be sited within
the precinct of the Palace of the Oba of Benin from where they were
looted, and also, the proper traditional institution that is also
the custodian of all the cultural heritage of the Benin Kingdom,”
the Oba said.

The monarch declared he had a discussion with the Minister of
Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who is presently in Germany
over the negotiation with the German government over the plans for
the repatriation of the artefacts, adding that the minister assured
him that the Federal government remain committed to getting an
unconditional return of the artefacts and would guarantee their
full custody for their onward transmission to Benin kingdom to the
exclusion of any unauthorized private entities or third
parties.

The Oba, while thanking the Federal Government for the
commitment, said ‎”It now behoves the Federal Government to be the
only level of government that can take custody of the artefacts
with a view to transferring them to their original owner and their
original place of abode, more so that there exist international
treaties and laws guiding these processes.”

Consequently, the “Oba advised Governor Obaseki to review his
approach of using the private vehicle of the Legacy Restoration
Trust Ltd and the Edo Museum of West African Art (EMOWAA) and to
see how he can genuinely collaborate with the Oba Palace in
accordance with our original understanding” and thanked the German
Government for their interest and willingness to return the Benin
artefacts.

The Oba, however, prayed for a fruitful resolution of the
issue.

Meanwhile, a tripartite delegation of the Federal Government,
making up of Governor Obaseki, Laid Mohammed and the Crown Prince
of Benin Kingdom, Prince Ezelekhae Ewuare, Edo State Government
said had met with the German Government on the return of the
artworks.

A press statement issued in Benin on Friday by Crusoe Osagie,
Media Assistant to Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, said that
the Federal Government, the Edo State Government and the Benin
Royal Family had concluded a meeting in Germany towards the return
of stolen artefacts to Edo State.

The meeting in Berlin, according to the statement, was attended
by the German Minister of State for Culture, Professor Monika
Grutters, and Foreign Minister, Mr Heiko Maas, while the Nigerian
delegation included the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji
Lai Mohammed; the Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki.

“At the meeting, Lai Mohammed insisted on a full and
unconditional return of the 1,130 Benin artefacts domiciled in
German museums, adding that the return should be whole rather than
substantial. He said this in the wake of remarks by Grutters that
the European nation was ready to make a ‘substantial return’ of the
1,130 looted artefacts.

“Mohammed said the issue of provenance, which has to do with the
place of origin of the artefacts, should not be allowed to unduly
delay the repatriation of the artworks, noting, “That they are
known as Benin Bronzes, which is already a confirmation of their
source of origin (which is Benin),” the statement added.

The statement also quoted Mohammed, at a separate meeting with
Maas, reiterating that no condition should be attached to the
return of the artefacts.

“He stressed the need for the parties to commit to definite
timelines for the return of the Benin Bronzes in addition to
concluding all necessary negotiations in a very short term.

He added that the discussions between Nigeria and Germany on the
return of the artworks was not the end of an era, but rather the
beginning of a new vista of stronger relations, pivoted by cultural
diplomacy between both countries.

The Minister thanked Germany for taking the lead in the global
efforts to repatriate all artefacts that were looted from Nigeria
and the African continent, adding “We see Germany as a leader in
the efforts to take practical steps to repatriate our stolen
artefacts, and we hope Germany will sustain that lead.”

Governor Obaseki, who was also on the Nigerian delegation, also
disclosed that a “transformational” museum is to be built in Benin
City, to house the artefacts upon their return, as part of a new
cultural district in the city.

The governor said he was attending the talks to demonstrate the
strong partnership involving the Federal Government of Nigeria, the
(Benin) Royal family and the people of Edo State.

Earlier, the German Minister of State for Culture, Professor
Grutters, said “the way we deal with the issue of Benin Bronzes is
important to addressing our colonial past,” describing the issues
as “an important personal concern”.

She assured the 1,130 artefacts would be returned to Nigeria
from the beginning of 2022, noting that Germany had twice sent
delegations to Nigeria for talks over the planned repatriation.

She said such a move indicated that both sides had moved beyond
mere talks, saying all the Museums in Germany stockpiling Benin
Bronzes had agreed to cooperate.

Other people on the Nigerian delegation were the Nigerian
Ambassador to Germany, Mr Yusuf Tuggar and Director General of the
National Commission for Museums and Monument (NCMM), Professor Abba
Tijani.

They were later taken on a guided tour of the Humboldt-Forum, a
royal palace turned museum in the heart of Berlin that houses
artworks from around the world.