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From Tony Osauzo, Benin
The Edo State House of Assembly Ad-Hoc Committees on the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) and Radisson Blu Hotel have recommended that the State Government take over two landmark properties.
The Committees, it was gathered, have submitted their reports to the Assembly.
“I can confirm to you that both committees have submitted their reports on Radisson and MOWAA”, a member of one of the Committees said.
In arriving at their recommendations, the committees noted that the land titles belong to the state government while the state also funded the two projects.
Recall that the two projects initiated by the immediate past administration of Godwin Obaseki became contentious when the Government of Monday Okpebholo commenced the scrutiny of the conception, ownership structure and execution of the projects.
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For the MOWAA project, trouble started on November 9, this year during an exhibition at the museum ahead of its proposed official commissioning date. Angry youths had stormed the facility in protest, compelling the exhibition to shut down abruptly.
The ceremony described as a private exhibition for investors, artists, and foreign envoys, quickly descended into panic when a mob claiming the museum belonged to the Oba of Benin forcefully gained entrance into the museum.
Consequently, fear-stricken foreign dignitaries were evacuated under tight security as shown in a viral footage.
Ambassadors of the European Union, Germany and other foreign guests were reportedly trapped following the protest by the youth, a development which caused concerns about the visitor’s safety.
Later at a meeting in Government House with the Ambassadors on November 10, Governor Monday Okpebholo told them that he had no idea about their presence in the state.
There was also a follow-up meeting with the Ambassadors at the Palace of the Oba of Benin but the standoff between the State Government and the authorities of the MOWAA project could not abate, forcing Governor Okpebholo to refer the matter to the Edo State House of Assembly.
