The controversy surrounding the establishment of the Museum of West African Arts (MOWAA) has continued to attract reactions nationwide.
The Nigerian House of Representatives has passed a resolution to investigate the establishment and funding of the Museum located in Benin City, Edo State.
The resolution comes due to the protest that led to the indefinite suspension of the opening of the Museum last week.
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Some lawmakers from Edo State sponsored the motion due to the governance framework of the museum, which seems to place control in the hands of private and foreign interests.
The lawmakers claimed there are suspicions around the funding, which prompted the House to investigate the legal arrangement and level of government involvement to avoid exploitation.
Days ago, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed a high-level Presidential Committee to develop a comprehensive framework for the permanent resolution of all controversies between the Museum and the Oba of Benin Palace.
Last week, Protesters disrupted the opening of an event at MOWAA in Benin City, leading to the postponement of the event well attended by many, including ambassadors.
Tinubu’s committee is expected to resolve all related matters through dialogue, mutual respect, and adherence to constitutional provisions.
The Committee will be chaired by Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, and includes representatives from the Presidency, the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, the National Council for Arts and Culture, the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, the Palace of the Oba of Benin, Edo State Government, and international partners (including German and French embassy representatives).
Understanding the problem
Let’s take everyone back to the conception of the fallout. In 1897, British forces invaded Benin City, looted over 3000 Benin Bronzes from the Royal Palace in Benin City, killed the king, and dispersed the Artefacts to Western Museums. For example, the British Museum holds the largest collection.
From the 2000s to 2017, calls to repatriate the stolen artefacts grew, with Nigerian activists and scholars highlighting the cultural void. Many of the artefacts were returned but were scattered in Lagos’ National Museum and other parts abroad, with no dedicated Museum in Benin City.
In 2018, the Benin Dialogue Group (BDG), a consortium of Nigerian stakeholders, Western Museum, and philanthropists, came together with the primary objectives of creating a world-class museum in Benin City to house repatriated Bronzes.
In 2019, MOWAA was announced as the Edo Museum of West African Art (EMOWAA), and the project was backed by the Edo State Government under Governor Godwin Obaseki.
A 6-hectare campus on the site of the demolished Central Hospital was designed by British-Ghanian architect Sir David Adjaye. The initial funding was estimated at around $25 million from donors, including the French and German Governments, the British Museum, and Private philanthropists.
If successful, the project aims to generate 30,000 jobs and $80 million annually for the creative economy.
In 2020, MOWAA was founded as an independent non-profit institution. Adjaye reveals initial rendering for the campus, including rammed-earth structures inspired by Benin architecture.
Executive Director Philip Ihenacho (a Nigerian Businessman) is appointed, positioning MOWAA as a catalyst for linking contemporary arts (film, music, fashion) with heritage. Early repatriation wins: The Metropolitan Museum of Art agrees to return two Bronzes for display.
In 2021, Archaeological excavations began on the Benin City site, uncovering a 7th-century city wall and artefacts spanning millennia. For example, Terracotta figures from Owo. This four-year dig, led by MOWAA’s team, reveals a layer of pre-colonial history and informs campus design. The Rainforest Gardens are planted with over 2,000 indigenous trees to reclaim colonial-erased botanical knowledge.
A year later, construction was intensified on the first phase, the 4,500-square-meter MOWAA institute (galleries, labs, auditorium). Additional repatriation agreements are secured from the Smithsonian Institution (USA), the Netherlands, Germany, and UK Universities (Cambridge, Aberdeen). funding expands to $50 million for the full campus, including a boutique hotel, rainforest gallery, and performance centre.
Cracks started in 2023 when the Federal government of Nigeria declared Oba Ewuare II as the sole custodian of repatriated Bronzes, clashing with Obaseki’s vision of MOWAA as a public institution.
Despite this, Obaseki continued construction; MOWAA acquires artefacts like a 15th-century terracotta Owo figure from Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments.
In 2024, preparatory exhibitions and programs launched remotely. An August Forbes Africa profile hails MOWAA as a “cultural crossroads” for Nigeria. By November, the institute nears completion, with plans for inauguration shows like Nigeria Imaginary Homecoming and a historical collections display spanning three millennia.
Obaseki’s government ended in 2024, giving birth to Monday Okpebholo, the new governor of Edo State. In August 2025, Edo State officially announced the public opening for November 11, projecting it as a global tourism destination. Even though Obaseki is out of office, he remains a vocal supporter of MOWAA.
On 7 November, the New York Times previews the near-complete campus, noting its focus on contemporary African art amid repatriation delays as construction workers finalised touches on the rammed-earth institute.
Two days later, on the day of the high-profile launch with 250 diplomats, artists, and donors, Edo people loyal to the Oba of Benin invaded the event, chanting against “foreign interference” and demanding the museum be renamed the “Benin Royal Museum” under Oba Ewuare II’s control.
They insulted guests and halted tours, citing the site’s sacred history (forly Central Hospital grounds) and MOWAA’s name change from “Edo” to Museum of West African Art” as disrespectful. The protesters accused former Governor Obaseki of bypassing the Oba in land allocation.
On 10 November, MOWAA issued a press statement clarifying its non-profit status, independence from government, and focus on contemporary works, not Bronzes, due to federal-Oba disputes.
The opening is postponed indefinitely. Edo Governor Monday Okpebholo revoked MOWAA’s Certificate of Occupancy, calling registration changes “suspicious” and the project a “fraudulent” legacy of Obaseki’s administration.
On Wednesday, 12 November, President Bola Tinubu intervenes, forming a high-level committee chaired by Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy Hannatu Musawa.
The panel includes reps from the Presidency, Edo Government, Oba’s Palace, National Commission for Museums and Monuments, foreign embassies (Germany, France), and MOWAA. The mission is to mediate a “peaceful resolution” on land, custodianship, and operations.
Despite the postponement of the opening, limited access continues for selected visitors; social media shows tours of relics and gardens. Artofurm reports a delay as “PR disaster,” while DW and The Art Newspaper detailed protester demands.
On Saturday, 15 November to 17, the media frenzy intensifies. BBC profiles the “power politics” row, noting MOWAA’s pivot to clay replicas and contemporary exhibits amid Bronze absences. Meanwhile, Oba supporters frame it as a sovereignty issue; backers like Ihenacho emphasise economic benefits.
Well, on 18 November, Nigeria’s House of Representatives passed a resolution for a full investigation into MOWAA’s establishments, funding, and land acquisition.
Now that you are up to date, look out for the details of the fallout between Obaseki and Oba of Benin, the full name of those behind MOWAA, including the Board of Directors, and the economic implications of this setback.
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