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Museums and monuments across the country have continued to deteriorate due to paucity of funds and poor patronage.
A nationwide survey conducted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) revealed that government funding for the sector had been on the decline due to dwindling revenue generation, especially after the outbreak of COVID-19.
The situation had been further worsened with little or no internal revenue being generated by the facilities due to security challenges, low turnout in visitors who normally go to the facilities on sightseeing or for research purposes.
The survey revealed that in Borno, Adamawa, Gombe, Yobe and Bauchi, facilities have either been abandoned for security reasons, destroyed by insurgents or are non-existent. In the North Central, for instance, the facilities are grappling with low patronage with the outfits recording less number of visitors than usual.
Head of Education Department in the National Museum and Monuments Office in Benue, Mrs Angbiandoo Julius, said: “At present, we have only two crocodiles. Our monitor lizard, monkey and tortoise have since died and have yet to be replaced.”
Curator, Nasarawa State National Museums and Monument, Mr Dakam Dakup said the little exhibitions at the temporary gallery were attracting as low as 15 to 30 visitors in a month.
The Museum of Colonial History in Lokoja, Kogi, hich is home to pictorial historical events in Nigeria before independence has becoming an eyesore.
Curator of the Museum, Mrs. Rebecca Agbogun, lamented that termites had damaged the museum built with planks saying some pictorial monuments had been lost and might be difficult for the country to recover if urgent steps were not taken.
