The $25 Million Museum That Became Nigeria’s Cautionary Tale

What began as an ambitious project to restore Nigeria’s cultural pride has devolved into a bitter dispute involving traditional rulers, politicians, and museum trustees—a stark example of how political interference can derail transformative cultural initiatives.

The Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) in Benin City was conceived in 2020 as a beacon of cultural renaissance. The project aimed to bridge the Benin Kingdom’s glorious past with a confident, contemporary Nigeria. The £40 million facility, designed by renowned architect David Adjaye, was meant to become a world-class institution showcasing 3,000 years of West African creativity.

Instead, protesters stormed the museum grounds in November 2024, forcing an abrupt end to preview events and postponing the grand opening indefinitely.

MOWAA was conceived as an independent, non-profit cultural institution that aimed to do more than display artifacts. The ambitious 15-acre campus plan includes a research and education institute, a contemporary art exhibition space called the Rainforest Gallery, a boutique hotel, a performance venue, and facilities for archaeological research and conservation.

The Edo State Government under former Governor Godwin Obaseki embraced the vision, contributing about ₦3.8 billion to the project. The museum attracted international support from European governments, the Getty Foundation, the Open Society Foundation, and the British Museum, with expectations of raising $18 million (approximately ₦27 billion) in donor funds.

At the heart of the controversy lies one of history’s most infamous colonial looting incidents. In 1897, British forces invaded Benin City and stole thousands of bronze sculptures and artifacts. For decades, campaigners fought for their return, and MOWAA was initially pitched as the future home for these repatriated treasures.

Everything changed in 2023. Nigeria’s president granted ownership of the returned bronzes to Ewuare II, the current Oba of Benin, the traditional ruler and head of the Edo people. This presidential decree effectively stripped MOWAA of its original raison d’être.

The Oba of Benin recently declared that MOWAA should be recognized as the Benin Royal Museum, reminding the public that the project was originally conceived under his authority to house the artifacts looted from Benin during the 1897 British inv

Originally called the Edo Museum of West African Art, the institution dropped “Edo” from its name and broadened its focus to West African art generally. This led to feelings among some members of the public and traditional rulers in Edo state that what began as a local project had been “hijacked”.

MOWAA has been accused of misrepresenting itself as the Benin Royal Museum to attract international funding—a charge that has inflamed tensions between the museum’s trustees, the royal palace, and the state government.

Prince Aghatise Erediauwa, speaking on behalf of the Benin Royal Family, alleged that the immediate past governor and some associates hijacked the original Benin Royal Museum project with a view to holding back the repatriated Benin artifacts by renaming it MOWAA.

On November 9, 2024, just hours before MOWAA’s first preview event, demonstrators gathered at the entrance to the museum campus, demanding to be allowed in. When denied, the crowd entered through another gate, hurling insults and protests at foreign guests and journalists in attendance.

The demonstrators asserted that the museum’s opening is a violation of Benin City’s cultural heritage, which falls under the authority of its traditional ruler, chanting in support of the Oba of Benin. Guests, including European diplomats, were quickly evacuated. The planned public opening was canceled.

The political landscape shifted dramatically when Monday Okpebholo became governor of Edo State, replacing Godwin Obaseki. During a recent courtesy visit to the palace, Governor Okpebholo aligned firmly with the Oba’s stance, pledging that the project would revert to its original name, the Benin Royal Museum.

The governor subsequently set up a committee to clarify the museum’s governance structure, re-engage donors, and realign the project with its royal origins, with former Governor Adams Oshiomhole as Chairman.

The new administration has raised pointed questions: why the state holds no equity stake in the museum, who owns the land, and whether it was appropriate to invest public funds in a trust operating independently of state control.

An investigation by the Edo State House of Assembly has revealed troubling financial details. The Accountant General disclosed that between March 2022 and April 2024, the State Government released N3.8 billion as its counterpart contribution to the MOWAA project, intended to attract $18 million in donor funds.

However, when asked by the committee whether he had any record of the supposed N27 billion donor funds, he replied in the negative. According to Prince Erediauwa, donor confidence reportedly waned when they discovered the true nature of the project’s control.

The dispute has now moved to the courts. Chief Osaro Idah, a member of the Benin Traditional Council, has filed a suit before the Federal High Court seeking to restrain MOWAA’s promoters from establishing, opening or operating any museum in Benin City dealing with Benin artifacts without the consent of the Oba of Benin.

Chief Idah stated that the establishment of MOWAA in Benin City without reference to the sovereign authority of the Oba over Benin culture and arts is not only a violation of the customary law of the Benin Kingdom but spiteful of the authority of the revered palace.

A hearing was scheduled for November 27, 2024.

The museum’s leadership has vigorously defended itself. In a statement, MOWAA clarified that it holds the Oba in the highest esteem and has never claimed title to any Benin bronzes. The museum said its focus for the last four years has been firmly on broader West African art, research, education, and conservation, with a strong focus on modern and contemporary, as well as historical works from Nigeria and beyond.

MOWAA’s trustees argue that independence was essential. Independence was necessary to safeguard the institution from political cycles and assure global partners of its professionalism, with the state’s contribution being cultural support, not a financial investment to yield control or profit.

Phillip Ihenacho, MOWAA’s director and chairman, has framed the debate differently, arguing that restitution isn’t just about returning objects but about rebuilding cultural infrastructure. He notes that Western media’s focus on the absence of Benin bronzes misses the point entirely—that contemporary African art and scholarship deserve world-class institutions regardless of colonial-era artifacts.

The MOWAA saga highlights the fragility of ambitious cultural projects in Nigeria when they become entangled in political power struggles. What was meant to be a model for African-led museum management and a catalyst for creative economy development has instead become a cautionary tale about:

• Political instability: How changes in government can derail long-term cultural investments
• Governance disputes: The tension between traditional authority, state control, and independent institutional management
• Financial transparency: Questions about accountability when public funds support private nonprofits
• Cultural ownership: Unresolved debates about who has the right to represent and manage heritage

The museum remains unopened, its future uncertain, as courts, politicians, and traditional rulers battle over its fate. For Nigeria’s creative economy—which President Bola Tinubu has identified as a priority sector—MOWAA’s struggles demonstrate how political machinations can transform a transformative vision into a bitter, expensive stalemate.