The management of the contentious Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) has again failed to show up at the public hearing by the Edo State House of Assembly Ad hoc Committee investigating its legal status, operations and funding, citing pending cases in court over the same issues.
Newsmata.com.ng reports that Governor Monday Okpebholo, had last month, written to the state House of Assembly urging it to determine the stake of the Edo State Government in the museum having committed over N3.3bn, and to determine true ownership of MOWAA.
At the resumed sitting of the Committee on Monday, MOWAA, in a letter by its legal representative, Olayiwola Afolabi, senior advocate of Nigeria, (SAN) said it had earlier informed the Committee that it would be sub judice for it to attend the public hearing due to the pendency of the same matter before the Federal High Court, Benin City.
In the letter, MOWAA informed the Committee that other committees of the Federal Government and the House of Representatives have been constituted to investigate the same issues.
The letter said documents it previously submitted to the Assembly showed that everything about MOWAA were genuine and transparent.
MOWAA, in the said documents, claimed that “No funds from any international institution had been received for the building of MOWAA until after it was very clear what MOWAA was and was not.
According to the management, “All funding was received subsequent to the time in the middle of 2021 that it was clear to potential donors that there would be two separate organisations one focused on Benin heritage art and another on modern and contemporary, broader West African art and research/education.
“Funding from German Government did not come until end of 2022 – a year and a half after the Palace disassociated itself from MOWAA. The fact that there would be two separate museums was communicated to the Benin Dialogue Group (the European museums) in the meetings of October 2021 at the London meeting, and again in Hamburg in the meeting of March 2023, and further confirmed in writing to all Benin Dialogue Group members approximately two years ago when MOWAA formally withdrew from the group meetings.”
Edo Accountant General, Julius Oseimen Anelu, said N3.8bn was released for the building of MOWAA between 2022 and 2024.
He said funding for MOWAA by the Edo State Government was appropriated for in the budget.
He said the $18m from donors did not enter the state’s coffers.
On his part, the Benin Monarch, Oba Ewuare II, who was represented by Prince Aghatise Erediauwa, accused former Governor Godwin Obaseki of making efforts to hijack the processes of the returned artefacts.
The Oba accused former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, and a former Director General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, (NCMM) Albert Tijani, of fighting the Palace to defend actions of the Legacy Restoration Trust (LRT).
Oba Ewuare II said the LRT was used to solicit fund abroad using his name.
The Benin Monarch said the Federal Government gazette, which recognised him as the custodian of the returned artefacts, made the LRT promoters realised that they were fighting a lost battle.
Chairman of the Ad hoc Committee, Hon Ade Isibor, expressed shock at the action of MOWAA.
Hon Isibor said the suit cited by MOWAA would not stop the Committee’s investigation, saying the Assembly and the Edo State Government were not involved in any litigation involving MOWAA.
According to him, “The powers of parliament to look into funds disbursed by the Executive is sacrosanct and cannot be taken away by any court.
“We are shocked that MOWAA did not attend sitting or come to give a verbal presentation. The Committee adopt the documentary evidence forwarded to us without by MOWAA.”