Nigerian govt proposes one-year timeframe for full return of stolen artifacts from Germany

The Federal Government on Friday proposed a one-year time limit for the full return of the looted artifacts from Germany.

The German government had agreed to repatriate at least 1,130 antiquities looted from the Bini Kingdom in 1897.

The antiquities are mostly held by state and private museums in the European nation.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, made the proposal during a round-table with German Museum Directors and government officials in Berlin, Germany.

Mohammed, who led a Nigerian government delegation for high-level talks with the German government on the repatriation of the artifacts, said the agreement for the repatriation of the Benin Bronzes from Germany would be signed by December.

READ ALSO: Germany agrees to return Benin artifacts stolen by Britain in 1849

He added that the full return of the Bronzes would be completed by August 2022.

The minister said: ”For us, the most important issue in the roadmap is the signing of the agreement and the date of return. We won’t move forward if we don’t have a clear date for signing and return. The full return should be completed in a year’s time, not beyond August 2022.”

The Secretary of State in the German President’s office, Mr. Stephen Steinlein, who also attended the roundtable, said President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is happy with the progress made so far on the planned repatriation of the artifacts.

The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, who is also on the Nigerian delegation, said the Edo Museum of West African Art (EMOWAA) is part of a transformation project planned by the state government to make Benin City a cultural hub in the sub-region.

Other members of the Nigerian delegation were the Nigerian Ambassador to Germany, Mr. Yusuf Tuggar; the Director-General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Prof. Abba Tijani; and the Benin Crown Prince, Ezelekhae Ewuare, among others.

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