Edo State clarifies EU's role in museum funding

Chris Okaeben, the Edo State Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, announced that the Edo Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) and the Oba Akenzua Cultural Centre were returned to the Oba of Benin by the Edo State Government as part of policy decisions made by Governor Monday Okpebholo. Okaeben clarified that the European Union did not invest in the museum but only provided a grant, while the Edo State Government invested N3.8 billion and provided the land for the project.

The museum will revert to its original name, the Edo Museum of West African Art (EMOWA). Okaeben described Okpebholo’s administration as beneficial to Edo's cultural values, which he claimed had been undermined by cultism and kidnapping.

He also announced plans for the Edo Carnival in December and efforts to enhance tourism by grading hotels in the state. The opening of MOWAA was postponed following protests on November 9, 2025, where demonstrators demanded the museum be renamed the "Benin Royal Museum.".