The Edo State Government and the Museum of West African Arts (MOWAA) are currently at loggerheads over the ownership and investment in the multi-billion-naira institute.
The government on Wednesday said it had taken over MOWAA and renamed it the Edo Museum of West African Arts (EMOWAA).
The Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Chris Okaeben, who disclosed this in Benin City during a news conference, added that the state government had commenced discussions with investors on the management and development of some cultural heritage sites across the state.
According to him, the investors would beautify the sites and develop them into attractive tourist destinations.
The commissioner said a committee headed by former Governor Adams Oshiomhole had recommended that MOWAA be handed over to the Oba of Benin.
He, however, described the renaming of the museum as a major policy decision of Governor Monday Okpebholo.
Okaeben said his engagement with the German Consulate in Nigeria established that the German government provided a grant to support the project, while the Edo State Government donated the land and invested N3.8 billion in the project without taking equity.
He said the administration of Governor Okpebholo had also taken steps to restore the state’s traditional and cultural values, which, according to him, had been undermined by cultism and kidnapping.
“We are partnering with investors on heritage sites. Benin Moat is one of the state’s most important heritage sites for tourists to visit,” Okaeben added.
Meanwhile, the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) has opened its books on the controversial cost of its institute in Benin City, revealing that the project consumed N22.26 billion in construction and equipment, while the Edo State Government contributed N3.95 billion in cash.
The disclosure, contained in MOWAA’s 2025 annual report and audited financial statements, comes against the backdrop of public controversy over how much the institute cost and how much of Edo State Government funds was spent by the past administration.
But beyond the headline figures, the audit raises questions about the evolution of the project, the difference between its early estimated cost and its eventual expenditure, and the decision to suspend further construction on the wider MOWAA campus.
MOWAA said its 2025 accounts were audited by Ernst & Young, which issued an unmodified opinion for the financial year ended December 31, 2025.
“The total cost of building and equipping the MOWAA Institute was N22.26 billion. Edo State’s N3.95 billion cash donation was important and valued. The figures also make clear that the State provided some, but not all, of the funding for the Institute and did not fund MOWAA as a whole,”
“MOWAA spent N14.011 billion in 2025, compared with N12.530 billion in 2024. Other expenditure stood at N5.358 billion, leaving a reported surplus of N8.653 billion.
“A closer look at the revenue shows how heavily MOWAA depends on external funding. Of the N14.011 billion recorded as revenue, N7.908 billion came from donations and N5.985 billion from grants, while other revenue amounted to N117.697 million.”
Continuing, it said: “Donations and grants therefore accounted for approximately 99 per cent of the organisation’s reported revenue.”
According to MOWAA, the Edo State Government’s cash contribution was N3.95 billion. On that basis, the N3.95 billion contributed by the state represented about 10.4 per cent of the total funds raised.
Against the N22.26 billion cost of the institute itself, the state’s contribution represented approximately 17.7 per cent.
