Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has expressed the optimism that the Cultural Property Implementation Act (CPIA) Agreement, which was signed by Nigeria and the United States of
America on Thursday, will reduce the pillage of Nigeria’s ancient
arts..
The Minister expressed the optimism when he signed a Memorandum of
Understanding on the CPIA with the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth
Leonard, in the presence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr.
Geoffrey Onyeama, in Abuja.
“This legislation was enacted by the United States to restrict the
importation into the U.S. of archeological materials ranging in date
from 1500 B.C. to A.D. 1770 as well as ethnological materials
including those associated with royal activity, religious activity,
etc. from nations that have entered into the kind of bilateral
initiative that we are signing here with the United States today,” he
said.
Alhaji Mohammed said on the basis of the agreement, Nigerian
antiquities being imported into the United States without the
requisite Export Permit will be seized at the border of the United
States and returned to Nigeria without the arduous and costly task of
going through the labyrinth of judicial and diplomatic processes.
“We are optimistic that this agreement will reduce the pillage of our
irreplaceable archeological and ethnological materials, as the market
for these materials is being shut in the United States against illicit
traffickers.
“The agreement will last for an initial period of five years. If it
works well, as we anticipate it will, it shall be renewed for a longer
term. We implore other friendly nations to take a cue from the United
States of America and join us in finding means to prevent the illegal
importation of our antiquities into their countries,” he said.
The Minister said the signing of the MoU became necessary because,
despite all efforts by the Ministry of Information and Culture and the
National Commission for Museums and Monuments, with the assistance of
law enforcement agencies, to prevent illicit export of the nation’s
archeological and ethnological materials, widespread looting and
illicit excavation of these materials still continue.
He said the stolen artifacts are mostly smuggled to Europe, the United
States of America and other places for the benefit of art collectors.
The Minister, who thanked the Government of the United States, in
particular the Embassy of the United States in Nigeria, for making the
MoU possible, said the Nigerian Government looks forward to a diligent
implementation of the landmark agreement, so it can become a game
changer in the nation’s efforts to prevent the looting of its
priceless ancient works of art.
In her remarks, the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Beth Leonard, said the
agreement is aimed at preserving, restoring and protecting Nigeria’s
cultural heritage.
“In Nigeria, over the past decade, the U.S Mission has partnered with
the Nigerian government and state institutions to preserve cultural
landmarks and sites through projects worth over one million dollars
and funded by the U.S. Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation.
“Just last November, I signed a grant award to digitally survey the
Busanyin Shrine located within the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove. That
$125,000 grant will help document a series of shrines within the Grove
and provide training to local professionals in digital tools and
cultural heritage management,” she said.
