February 6, 2025
Tourism

The small men we have given power

anote
  • January 18, 2025
  • 3 min read
The small men we have given power

By Ogbeide Ifaluyi-Isibor

A few days ago, we read online that the New York Times listed Benin City as one of the top 52 places to Visit in 2025 and the Museum of West African Arts (MOWAA) was signalled as the new big thing to drive foreign art lovers and tourists to Benin City in 2025. MOWAA came into being as an initiative of the Godwin Obaseki administration to further promote our arts, rich cultural heritage and transform our creative economy, and so the accolades on Mr. Obaseki were àplenty. The accolades and congratulations were so bad and painful that Sen. Monday Okpebholo recently matched to MOWAA, met with the team and boasted about revoking the Certificate of Occupancy of the property.

MOWAA is an initiative funded by the German Government, the British Government, the European Union and a couple of other reputable international organizations and over €20milion has been given in donations and set aside to build the first Museum of West African Arts in West Africa, located in the home of Arts and Culture – Benin City. A museum is not a profit-making venture as no museum has ever boasted about profits. So if they were thinking that Godwin Obaseki would be making money through it after leaving office, that thinking is too kindergarten for teens let alone adults.

So, Sen. Okpebholo who is in court trying to legitimize his office is willing to tell the world that Edo State have an irresponsible government willing to throw away €20million in investment and tell the international community that we are daft enough to reject foreign investment that has capacity to totally transform our economic landscape as a sub-national and keep Edo as the cynosure of all eyes across the African continent.

You want to destroy MOWAA, because the over 100 years plus old Central Hospital building was removed and the Stella Obasanjo Hospital was remodeled and transformed into a tertiary medical facility. Meanwhile, there’s also a hospital built by Adams Oshiomole less than a quarter mile from MOWAA. You want to satisfy some ego by destroying a world class project that will bring the world of arts to Benin City every year. You want to destroy the relationship Edo has enjoyed with other world powers and partners just because you wish to prove a point that only entices fawning jobbers?

MOWAA has the capacity to create massive tourism-related jobs in a matter of months, but that doesn’t matter to you because Mr. Obaseki is getting accolades for what he initiated. Obaseki did the proverbial yeomans job making MOWAA see the light of day in Benin City, and every Benin lover, every culture lover and indeed every composmentis Edo son or daughter must rise to the occasion and sing some reason to Sen. Okpebholo to ascend a bit above where he has set his thoughts about MOWAA and look at the bigger economic picture.

There are some things that are simply not permissible to distinguished individuals in a developing society and revoking the C of O of MOWAA does Edo State and indeed Nigeria very dirty. You can hate Mr. Obaseki all you want, but please don’t hate Edo people by destroying MOWAA.

They say you shouldn’t give big power to small men, and I totally agree with that article that talks about the small men we have given power… This is not in reference to anyone, please!

Images 2025 01 18t165747.542

Former Governor Godwin Obaseki (left) and Governor Monday Okpebolo

* Ifaluyi-Isibor wrote from Coolest in Useh

Spread this:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *