How Obaseki Altered MOWAA’s Registration Details 6 Days Before End Of Tenure

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Amidst wranglings over the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) in Benin City, Edo State, involving the state government, the Benin Traditional Council, (BTC) and the immediate past administration of Godwin Obaseki, over ownership issue, Governor Monday Okpebholo on Friday disclosed how the previous administration made major changes in MOWAA’s registration details six days before its exit on November 11, 2024.

Describing the action as “suspicious and deeply troubling”, Governor Okpebholo also insisted that his administration was deliberately excluded from crucial information and developments, including the arrival of foreign delegates for what he described as a questionable commissioning ceremony on a Sunday.

The governor, who spoke on Friday when the Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa visited him at the Government House where she held a meeting with him and top officials of the state government on the contentious MOWAA issue, vowed that there would be criminal prosecution in the matter.

Laying bare the issues, Governor Okpebholo reiterated his administration’s uncompromising commitment to transparency, accountability, and institutional integrity in the raging controversy surrounding MOWAA, stressing that the state is not at war with investors but would not hesitate to prosecute any wrongdoing uncovered in the project.

The governor said, “I didn’t want to speak publicly on this again, but the time has come to state the facts.

“At the end of the day, there will be criminal prosecution on this matter. We are not fighting investors. Our duty is to protect Edo State and, by extension, Nigeria. There will be no hiding place for criminals in our land.”

According to him, the documents obtained by the state indicated major changes to MOWAA’s registration details, made just six days before his swearing-in, describing the action as suspicious and deeply troubling.

Governor Okpebholo insisted that the state government was never informed about the arrival of expatriates invited for a Sunday commissioning ceremony, a move, he said, further reinforced the lack of transparency that has characterised the project’s operations.

Governor Okpebholo assured that his administration would continue to defend the integrity of Edo State, uphold due process, and work closely with the federal government, traditional institutions, and all stakeholders to achieve a just, transparent, and credible resolution to the MOWAA controversy and similar matters affecting the state.

In her message, Minister Musawa expressed the federal government’s pledge for a collaborative approach to resolving what she described as “an original sin” that must be addressed to restore dignity to traditional institutions and safeguard Nigeria’s international cultural reputation.

Stating that the federal government was aware of the MOWAA saga, Musawa told the governor, “I want you and your fantastic team to work closely with the traditional institution that has been grossly wronged.

“We want to find a balanced solution that respects history, protects traditional institutions, and strengthens Nigeria’s global credibility”.

The minister stated that the federal government was “willing to listen and support all efforts to bring lasting succour”.

Musawa commended Edo State for its historic and ongoing contributions to Nigeria’s cultural identity, praising the intellectual heritage of the Edo people and the global significance of Benin’s cultural legacy.

The meeting was attended by key government officials, including the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku; Secretary to the State Government, (SSG) Umar Musa Ikhilor, Chief of Staff, Gani Audu; the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Roland Otaru, senior advocate of Nigeria, SAN; and the commissioner for Information and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegbua, among others.