The Curator, Mrs Omawunmi Ofumaka, made the declaration in Calabar on Wednesday when she spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
“Nigeria has two slave history museums; one in Calabar and the other in Badagry. These museums, especially the one in Calabar keep relics of slave trade and should be maintained and updated.
“People come into Calabar and they don’t know where to go, but when they come in here, they are surprised that there is still a place like this.
“We have worked on the sound systems, air conditioners, and generator, which were all in poor working conditions before now, but a lot still needs to be done,’’ she said.
Ofumaka appealed to Cross River Government, in particular to assist the museum.
“Museums are run by National Museums and Monuments, but it behoves states and individuals as stakeholders to assist museums and ensure that they are up and running the way they should.
“The Calabar museum built by Mr Donald Duke, former governor of Cross River, should be preserved because it is one of the nation’s heritages,’’ she added.
The curator noted that Cross River used to do a lot in the area of tourism, but the story today is that the museum had been closed, whereas it is open and running.
Ofumaka said she had just sent a quotation to the National Museums and Monuments in Abuja and hoped that in few months, the museum would undergo renovations.
Earlier, Cross River Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr Eric Anderson, told NAN that museums are run by the National Museum and Monuments Commission and are not the direct responsibility of the state.
Anderson stressed that while the state government could support the museum in Calabar, it could not be held responsible for its parlous state.
NAN reports that the Old Residency Museum, also in Calabar has deteriorated over the years following a barricade of its entrance over “security reasons’’.
(NAN)