Nigeria and Germany on Friday in Berlin signed a historic joint
declaration that will pave the way for the return of 1,130 Benin
Bronzes to Nigeria, 125 years after they were looted from the ancient
Benin Kingdom during the Benin Expedition of 1897.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and the
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada, signed
for Nigeria, while the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany, Ms
Annalena Baerbock, and the Minister of State for Culture and the
Media, Ms. Claudia Roth, signed for Germany.
In his remarks before the signing, Mohammed thanked the
government and people of Germany for what he described as the ”single
largest repatriation of artefacts anywhere in the world”.
”We also want to most sincerely thank the authorities of the various
German regions, cities, museums and institutions that have been
working in concert to ensure the manifestation of the
history-making event that we are witnessing today. By this singular
action, Germany has taken the lead in correcting the wrongs of the
past,” he said.
The Minister of Information and Culture said Germany did not colonize
Nigeria and was not part of the looting of the artefacts, adding that
many of the Benin Bronzes in German public institutions got there via
trade and donations.
”Yet, Germany and the great people of this nation decided it is
better to shape the future by correcting the ills of the past. I have
no doubt in my mind that this pace-setting action by the
Federal Government of Germany will become a harbinger of more
repatriation of cultural property to their place of origin, as other
museums and institutions are expected to take a cue from what Germany
has done.
”Germany has gained more friends in Nigeria and all over the world by
returning to Nigeria what rightfully belongs to it,” he said.
On his part, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador
Zubairu Dada, called Germany the ‘champion of justice and fairness’.
Also Speaking, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany, Ms.
Baerbock, said: ”It was wrong to take the (Benin) bronzes. It was
wrong to keep them for (125 years). This is the beginning to right the
wrong.”
In a symbolic gesture signifying the impending return of the artefacts, two of the Benin
Bronzes were handed over to Nigeria at the signing ceremony.
The signing was witnessed by top Nigerian and Germany government
officials, including the Nigerian Ambassador to Germany, Mr. Yusuf
Tuggar, and the Director-General of Nigeria’s National Commission for
Museums and Monuments, Prof. Abba Tijani.
