The Edo State House of Assembly has reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, accountability, and the protection of the State’s rich cultural heritage following mounting concerns over the commissioning of the Museum of West African Arts (MOWAA) in Benin City.
Addressing civic groups who protested against the project, the Majority Leader, Hon. Jonathan Aigbokhan, and the Deputy Chief Whip, Hon. Dr. Edosa Richard, assured that the Assembly will not allow the cultural legacy of the Edo people to be compromised by alleged fraudulent dealings or unclear ownership arrangements.
The groups had accused those behind MOWAA of attempting to commercialise and privatise Edo ancestral artefacts and land, insisting that the state’s heritage must remain under communal and traditional guardianship. “Culture is identity, and identity cannot be traded,” one of the groups declared.
In response, Hon. Aigbokhan revealed that the Assembly has set up two investigative committees — one on MOWAA and another on the Radisson Hotel project — to unravel the controversies and ensure fairness and accountability.
“We will get to the root of the matter,” he vowed. “What belongs to us cannot be taken by strangers. Artefacts are the properties of the palace. Government does not produce artefacts, so what you did not produce, can you collect it as your own?” he queried.
Hon. Dr. Richard reinforced that any initiative affecting the collective heritage of Edo people must be subjected to public scrutiny and guided by legality, fairness, and respect for communal ownership.
The lawmakers’ message was unambiguous: the Edo State House of Assembly will not stand idly by while the cultural pride of the people is appropriated or mismanaged. Heritage, they stressed, must be preserved, not sold.
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