The Federal Government has launched a campaign for the return and restitution of Nigeria’s looted and smuggled artefacts from around the world.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, in a statement issued by his Special Assistant (Media), Segun Adeyemi, launched the campaign at a briefing held in Lagos on Thursday.

Mohammed disclosed that the London Metropolitan Police had seized the Ife Bronze Head and invited Nigeria to make a claim or they would have to return the artefact to the person claiming ownership of it.

The minister also said the Federal Government would begin the campaign with a quest to retrieve the bronze head, which was one of the items stolen when one of the country’s national museums was burgled in 1987.

He said, ‘’After it was brought to an auction in London two years ago, the auction house observed that it was an Ife Bronze Head, which belongs to the International Council of Museums Red List of cultural goods deemed to be most vulnerable to illicit traffic.

‘’Now, the London Metropolitan Police have seized the object and invited Nigeria to make a claim, otherwise they will have to return it to the fellow claiming ownership. We have now started work on the return of the Ife Bronze Head to Nigeria.”

Mohammed added that in launching the campaign, Nigeria had become emboldened by Article 4 of the UNESCO 1970 Convention, to which most countries around the world subscribe and which identifies the categories of cultural property that form part of the cultural heritage of each member state.

He said that by the provisions of the Article, they include cultural property created by the individual or collective genius of nationals of the State concerned, and cultural property that has been the subject of a freely agreed exchange or received as a gift or purchased legally with the consent of the competent authorities of the country of origin of such property.

The minister said, “With this announcement, we are putting on notice all those who are holding on to Nigeria’s cultural property anywhere in the world that

we are coming for them, using all legal and diplomatic instruments available.

“Gentlemen, we are under no illusion that this will be an easy task, but no one should also doubt our determination to make a success of this campaign.”

The Minister added that it was impossible to imagine by what logic an Ife Bronze or a Benin Bronze or a Nok Terracotta could belong to any other part of the globe, except to the people of Nigeria, whose ancestors made them.

“We have never laid claim to the Mona Lisa or a Rembrandt. Those who looted our heritage resources, especially during the 19th century wars, or those who smuggled them out of the country for pecuniary reasons, have simply encouraged the impoverishment of our heritage and stealing of our past.

“These timeless and priceless pieces of art work were an important part of the nation’s past, its history, and heritage resource. Allowing them to sit in the museums of other nations robs Nigeria of our history.”

Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/punchng.com/fg-begins-campaign-for-return-of-stolen-artefacts/amp/

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He's on a long ride here

High on weed.

why do I find it hard to read whatever this dumb man has to say?? artifacts that u and ur cohorts won't preserve, u won't create institutions to take care and maintain these things.

Then the white men came to plunder and steal it they preserved it and u are here crying foul, such a retarded lot. Imagine them scraping history from our educational system, they forgot that people who can't trace their background, know thier origin, know their historical fact are as good as dead.

Well that's the way they keep us under their feet, they deprive us of knowledge, especially knowledge of who we are and how strong we are.


I'M TIRED OF THIS HELLHOLE.

Make i go prepare one better lie to con knack una

Hakuna matata

You see eeh! Nairalanders that's why federal work is very good. If there is no work, you create one for yourself. Work is work. That's what Lai Muhammed is doing. If not he will be irrelevant. If he is not already

It's better left der cs even the ones we have are not to be seen talk more of been preserved please LONDON keep it der

Pot calling kettle black.

Especially, the one the looks like his head

Oga they would return them but they just wanna show it to 12th generation to come that why colonization was existing, you were one of their conquered nations

It was GEJ that sold everything...

We agreed with Lia on this.

Including buhari's brain abi?

His face like artifact mtcheew

AhlexOfficial:
H

hi

Return all our stolen money - Ogogorofreak warns Nigeria government

Charity, they say begins at home, you nostril! How much have you and your government retrieved from corrupt politicians here at home?

This minister no be serious individual

Why should they return?
So that you guys should steal it abi?

This is not our problem in this country now. Do Lai have any evidence that d whites stole our artefacts? the truth is that d white got the artefacts with d permission of d then traditional leaders with an exchange of something such as mirror, dry gin etc.