Tinubu commended Holloway for his diplomacy and institutional leadership at the NCMM and congratulated the Commission’s staff for the international recognition of their work
By Mmesoma Onwuka
President Bola Tinubu has congratulated the Director-General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Olugbile Holloway, on his inclusion in the inaugural TIME100 Art list, which recognises 100 influential figures shaping the future of the global art world.
Tinubu said the recognition underscored Holloway’s contributions, alongside those of the NCMM, to the recovery of Nigeria’s cultural treasures and the strengthening of institutions responsible for preserving the nation’s heritage.
Since his appointment in March 2024, Holloway has worked with the Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty Oba Ewuare II, to establish a framework for the retrieval, conservation and exhibition of returned Benin artefacts.
According to the President, the collaboration has enhanced Nigeria’s engagements with foreign governments, universities and museums over the repatriation of the country’s cultural property.
Under Holloway’s leadership, the NCMM facilitated the return of 119 Benin Bronzes from the Netherlands and secured the legal transfer of 116 Benin Bronzes from the University of Cambridge.
Nigeria also recently received 18 Benin Bronzes and four Ikom monoliths returned from Switzerland.
Tinubu further commended the NCMM for launching Nigeria’s first digital museum of antiquities, featuring more than 200 objects from the National Museum, Lagos.
The artefacts have been digitally scanned in three dimensions and made available through an immersive online platform, providing wider access to Nigeria’s cultural heritage.
The President also praised the renovation of the National Museum, Lagos, noting improvements to its galleries, display systems and facilities for preserving and showcasing the nation’s cultural assets.
He described the recovery of Nigeria’s cultural property as an important act of historical justice and a restoration of the dignity and collective memory of the communities from which the artefacts originated.
Tinubu commended Holloway for his diplomacy and institutional leadership at the NCMM and congratulated the Commission’s staff for the international recognition of their work.
The President urged the Commission to sustain its efforts to recover Nigeria’s cultural property, modernise museums across the country and make the nation’s history and heritage more accessible to younger generations.