By Erharuyi A. Joe
The myriads of controversies surrounding the Edo Museum of West African Arts (EMOWAA) seem to be coming to an end with the submissions of the Edo State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegua, that the State Government has revoked the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) granted the Museum and ready to oversee its administration in the interest of the State.
Prince Afegbua made the submissions during his right-of-reply on Arise Television to some allegations by the Organising Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ogbeide Ifaluyi Isibor, who was a guest on Arise Television earlier to accuse the Sen. Monday Okpebholo’s administration of sponsoring protesters to disrupt the preview of West African Arts at the Museum of West African Arts in Benin City.
The Commissioner noted that the Museum in question is the Edo Museum of West African Arts (EMOWAA), and not the Museum of West African Arts (MOWAA), saying that the immediate past administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki changed the name from EMOWAA to MOWAA, few days before the exit of his administration for some selfish gains.
In his words, “I watched your guest last week, talking about MOWAA. I would rather prefer to refer to MOWAA as EMOWAA, Edo Museum of West African Arts, because as far as we are concerned, the records we have, the documents we have and the Certificate of Occupancy that we have, reads ‘Edo Museum of West African Arts.’ The fact that the previous Governor, when he was leaving office, had on November, 8th, decided to change the name from Edo Museum of West African Arts to Museum of West African Arts, made us to smell a rat”.
Prince Afegua revealed that the Edo State Government became suspicious when the immediate past administration changed the name of the Museum from EMOWAA to MOWAA and that subsequent investigations showed that the Museum from the beginning, was a State Government project. According to him, “The Quantity Surveyor submitted to ExCo, the bill of quantities of what it will take to build the pavilion of the Museum. Out of 4.1 billion naira earmarked to complete that pavilion of the Museum, Edo State spent 3.8 billion naira.
He stated that the Edo State is the real owner of the Pavilion by being the core investor, the real funder, which was corroborated with being number one on the plaque as prepared by MOWAA, and that with the records at the disposal of the State Government and documents with the Corporate Affairs Commission, which reads EMOWAA, coupled with the Bill of Quantities with corresponding memos on the disbursement of the 3.8 billion naira in tranches, as well as the Certificate of Occupancy further establishes the fact.
The Commissioner recommended that the said donors in respect of EMOWAA should approach persons including Philip Iheanachor, Barr. Chioke who are said to be in charge of MOWAA, to account for whatever funds the donors gave for the Museum. He accused the former Governor, Godwin Obaseki of secret manipulations by administrating the Museum with the personnel from Afri-Invest, which according to the Commissioner, make up over 80 percent of personnel at MOWAA.
The Commissioner decried the deception of the former Governor, Godwin Obaseki, who had in the presence of a former Head of States, Yakubu Gowon; a former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan; the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III; the Benin Dialogue, amongst other stakeholders, on 20th October, 2018, stated that he would build a museum for the Oba of Benin.
According to Afegua, the Edo state Government was notified that the foreign guests and other stakeholders would be in the State for the opening of MOWA on Tuesday, 11th November, 2025 but was not told of any preview scheduled for Sunday, 9th November, 2025. He denied the allegation that the State Government had a hand in the invasion of the EMOWAA Pavilion by protesters, saying residents were aware of the controversies and displeased as to how the Obaseki-led Government had manipulated the EMOWAA project.
Prince Afegua concluded that the Edo State Government will not demolish the Pavilion but will continue to consult with key stakeholders of cultures in the State, particularly, the Oba of Benin, whom he said the administration of Sen. Okpebholo has high reverence for.