NICO wants stolen artifacts returned
By Justina Auta
Abuja, July 5, 2018 (NAN) The National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), on Thursday appealed for the recovery of stolen artifacts belonging to Nigeria to safeguard its cultural heritage.
Mr Louis Eriomala, Ag. Executive Secretary of the institute, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the recovery was necessary to further promote and enhance the nation’s cultural orientation, historical practices and tourism.
“It is only when we agree to bring them back just like the looting of funds; you cannot force them.
“Take for example the popular Benin bronze mask in the British museum; we just keep appealing to their conscience to return it because they are making so much money from it.
“So many of these artifacts they taken from Africa, they should voluntary bring them back,’’ he appealed.
Eriomala also stressed the need for the documentation of cultural heritage in Africa, for prosperity, as some of them have the potentials to be inscribed on the national, regional or the international Memoirs o the World (MoW).
“We have the heritage, in fact without been very proud, Africa has the highest heritage in the world but we have not gone through proper documentation of our heritage and present it to the world.
He pledged the commitment of the institute in the training, research and documentation of cultural heritage and assets at making culture the vector for national development. (NAN)
JAD/EAL
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Edited by Ekemini Ladejobi