FG Restates Commitment to Recovering Nigeria’s Stolen Artefacts

Oluchi Chibuzor

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment towards recovering the nation’s stolen artefacts across the country.

Mohammed also revealed that the country recently signed an agreement for the repatriation of 1,130 Benin bronzes from Berlin in Germany.

The minister who disclosed this recently during the opening of The Art Hotel in Lagos, said the bronzes were looted from the ancient city of Benin in 1897, which was 125 years ago.

“Let me restate our commitment to recovering our priceless works of art which were looted from our country. Our efforts in this regard have started to yield fruits.

“Last week, in Berlin, Germany, we signed the agreement for the repatriation of 1,130 Benin bronzes which were looted from the ancient city of Benin kingdom in 1897.

“This number represents the single largest repatriation of looted works of art anywhere in the world. There is no doubt that the return of the most coveted Benin bronzes to Nigeria will help to stimulate domestic tourism in our country,” he said.

Mohammed, however urged investors to work on promoting Nigerian as the choice destination for investors.

He said the new hotel, which attempts to promote Nigerian arts and crafts, accommodates a gallery with an extensive display of diverse Nigerian arts for public viewing in celebration of Nigeria’s rich and vibrant culture.

“The Art Hotel brand is a new offering associated with art, style, culture, sophistication and contemporary creativity that promises quality service and genuine guest experiences to deliver customer satisfaction in a distinctive environment.

“This project had been strategically crafted to showcase our unique art, innovativeness and creative works. The choice of Lagos for siting this hotel is strategic, Lagos is Nigeria’s economic hub where opportunities for expression abound and new stories of success and achievements unfold every day.

“Stakeholders are also invited to package and promote Nigeria’s destinations, goods and services. This will create direct and indirect employment through tourism, grow the economy, increase the national GDP, position Nigeria as an all year-round tourism destination and establish a worthwhile, acceptable and recognisable image of the country among tourists and travelers,” he said.

Also Mohammed commended the owners and sponsors of the hotel for the huge investment in the project, saying it revealed a deep understanding of the role of arts and culture on nation building.

“The domestic tourism industry in Nigeria has enormous growth potential with huge possibilities for bringing in Foreign Direct Investments, infrastructural development, tourism asset development and the creation of local, national and international awareness for our tourism assets.

“The sustainable development of this industry will preserve our tangible and intangible tourism assets, support tourism stakeholders and celebrate our cultural diversity, tourism assets and destinations. Overall, our vision is to promote best practices in the tourism industry that will ensure its sustainability and make Nigeria a globally-accepted and acclaimed destination for all manners of visitors.”

Deputy-Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, said the government would continue to bridge the infrastructural gap in the state to support the private sector.

“Growing Lagos is a partnership between the government and private sector. The state investment in building key road infrastructure within the location is to support businesses,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Oniru of Iru land in Lagos, Oba Gbolahan  Lawal, stressed that value would be consistently added to the property and every other property within the area.

He thanked the hoteliers for leveraging the infrastructure the state government and his predecessors had put in place in the area.

“This is a beautiful edifice. I am happy to be the monarch on the throne today, I love arts and architecture. I have not seen anything like this in this area. I hereby commend the architect and builder. It is a beautiful hotel and I recommend it to everyone,” he said.

Arts Hotel CEO, Tunji Abdul said: “We must stay loyal to Nigeria and believe that businesses can survive once you are resolute and determined to succeed in the country.

“The past seven years was not easy, but we positioned ourselves to meet the demands of all art lovers and are certain that the industry will continue to grow.”

Also the General Manager of the Art Hotel, Mr. Roderick Peck said the hotel would serve individuals with excellence and style “as fantastic menu would always be available.”