Several efforts have been made to repatriate Nigerian artefacts in European and British museums but these countries seem to be holding tight to the priceless objects.

While many are calling on the Nigerian government to use legal prowess to recover them, the president of the International Council of African Museums (AFRICOM), Mr Nath Mayo Adediran, has said that seeking legal prowess was dangerous, insisting that diplomatic avenue remains the best option.

In an interview with LEADERSHIP, he faulted many foreigners trading in the country for not repatriating the stolen artefacts they come across in other countries back to Nigeria despite the huge turnover they make in the country.

“A court case is dangerous because when you look for justice, what they look into to give justice are technicalities and if a technical fault is detected, that may be damaging. So it is good for us to continue to use the diplomatic avenue, build confidence, sign bilateral agreement and maintain a warm relationship,” Adediran said.

Adediran, who is also the chief executive officer, RAA Heritage Global Resources Ltd, regretted that tourism sector was far from achieving the task of generating more revenue for the country.

“The sector is weak in many areas and there seemed to be no ray of light as to how that sector will be moved forward. It is unfortunate that since the creation of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism that sector had not moved as it should. I know that the legislature is planning a Legislative Retreat to address this,” he said.

On his plans towards returning the artefacts, he said, “My own thrust is that these objects, whether stolen or removed during the colonial era in Nigeria, have stayed in the confines of foreign museums for far too long. With these items, they (foreigners) have produced so many PhD and Master’s degree holders as well as graduates who know these objects as they know the lines on the palms of their hands.

“The directors and curators of these foreign museums see it as a way of emptying their storage and as such, it does not speak well for them. Most of them cherish the treasures and still want to use that because they make a lot of money from them.

“Secondly, they also complained that we don’t have conservators and  have a corrupt society where if these things were returned, they may be stolen and to get them back will be difficult. Until certain things are put in place and we are able to build confidence in them, I think it will take a while before these things can be returned,” Adediran opined.

Reacting, the director-general, the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Mallam Yusuf Abdallah Usman, noted that the repatriation of stolen artefacts requires both political and diplomatic processes, saying that they have been able to return Esie, Nok and few other artefacts from France and Canada.

“The issue of repatriation of antiquities that have been trafficked out of the country is political and diplomatic much more than professional in the sense that there are a lot of issues relating to these. For instance, most of them were taken out long before Nigeria gained independence. The question then is how were they taken out of the country? However, some of them like the Esie, Nok and few others have been returned by France, Canada.”

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