Nigeria’s $25m Museum Faces Political Storm Amid Benin Bronzes Debate

Published: 13 November 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

Nigeria’s stunning new Museum of West African Art (Mowaa) has found itself in the crosshairs of local power politics on the week it was supposed to—but failed—to open its doors to the public for the first time.

The six-hectare (15-acre) campus sits in the heart of Benin City, capital of the southern state of Edo, and includes an archaeological dig and buildings designed by high-profile British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, best known for the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, 2016.

Five years in the making, the museum is envisioned to celebrate both the past and present of creativity in the region famous for the Benin Bronzes, artworks looted from the city’s royal palace by British soldiers in the 19th century.

Inside, conservators carefully unwrapped artworks from protective packaging, inspecting each piece and taking meticulous records before positioning them on walls and plinths. Technicians fine-tuned climate control systems, and officers in the materials science laboratory calibrated equipment meant to preserve centuries-old artefacts.

The project has been the brainchild of businessman Phillip Ihenacho, now Mowaa’s executive director. “I want us to have a significant economic impact on communities around here,” he said, adding that he hoped to make Benin City “a cultural destination.”

Mowaa, a non-profit Nigerian institution, aims to create more than 30,000 direct and indirect jobs and contribute over $80m annually to the regional creative economy through partnerships and programming. The project cost $25m, raised from donors including the French and German governments, the British Museum, and the Edo state government.

However, the local government revoked the use of the land on which the museum was built, citing the change of name from “Edo Museum of West African Art” to simply Mowaa. This came after protests demanding the museum be called the Benin Royal Museum, with foreign guests reportedly insulted and escorted out under police protection.

President Bola Tinubu has intervened, establishing a high-level committee to manage the tensions. Much of the controversy stems from local political rivalries. Edo’s previous governor, Godwin Obaseki, had been a major supporter, whereas the new administration, allied with the Oba (traditional ruler), seeks more influence over the project. Protesters have demanded that the museum be placed under Oba Ewuare II’s control.

The issue highlights the contentious Benin Bronzes, brass, ivory, and wooden sculptures looted during the 1897 British expedition. Thousands remain in Europe and North America, including the British Museum, Berlin’s Humboldt Forum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Only around 150 have been returned to Nigeria, with more expected.

Originally, Nigeria’s art community hoped the museum would house the bronzes, but the federal government later designated the Oba as the rightful custodian of any returned artefacts. This left Mowaa in a delicate position: advocating for restitution while emphasizing its broader focus on contemporary African creativity.

Mr. Ihenacho explained, “One of the frustrations I’ve always had is that from the beginning we have said we will be about the modern and contemporary. But because of the Western story about the return of the Benin Bronzes, everyone kept referring to us as the museum where they will go. The problem is we are not the owners, nor do we have any legal title to the bronzes.”

Mowaa aims to be a haven for contemporary African creativity, including film, photography, music, dance, fashion, and visual art. Young artists and researchers from Nigeria and Ghana are already working in the museum, creating a hub of regional collaboration.

Cultural specialist Oluwatoyin Sogbesan emphasized that many locals are more concerned with daily survival than restitution debates. She suggested that restitution should go beyond returning artefacts, also restoring memory and language, even calling for the original Edo name of the bronzes, “Emwin Arre,” meaning “Cultural Things.”

The museum’s inaugural exhibition, Homecoming, features acclaimed artists such as Yinka Shonibare, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Precious Okoyomon, and Tunji Adeniyi-Jones. Shonibare’s Monument to the Restitution of the Mind and Soul showcases over 150 clay replicas of the Benin Bronzes, symbolizing absence, memory, and connection to the land of Benin.

Shonibare said, “Creating a monument like this acknowledges the trauma caused by the looting of those spiritual artefacts. It’s conceptual, about absence and spiritual meaning. It is almost mourning.”

Mowaa remains a symbol of both contemporary African creativity and the ongoing discussion around restitution, politics, and cultural heritage, with the potential to transform Benin City into a global cultural destination.