Ihedioha cutting the project tape, while Obasek, second left and Duke, right, look on.

By Jethro Ibileke 

The former governors, Donald Duke of Cross River State and Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha of Imo State, have commended outgoing Governor Godwin Obaseki for his achievements in the eight years he was governor of Edo State.

They gave the commendation at the official unveiling and preview of the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) Institute and Campus, in Benin City.

They noted that Obaseki, who will hand over power in eight days after eight years as governor, has modernized the vision of the founding fathers of Edo state and built on their legacies. They described him as a transformer who has prioritized the welfare and well-being of his people.

Ihedioha said: “Your Excellency, you have done well in the last eight years. You have led your people well. In terms of power, you have led the country. Today, Edo generates more power than any State in the federation. In the area of education, you have shone like a million stars. In the arts, culture and tourism synonymous with Edo State, you have shone like a true son of the soil.

“In the area of health, we appreciate the quality of health delivery to your people and you have created wealth for your people. Edo is one of the most industrialized States in Nigeria by the investments you attracted as the governor of Edo State.

“You have made Edo State a tourist destination as I joined you today to unveil the MOWAA Projects which is a classic one and you will be remembered in years to come. You said you don’t want the vision of the late Samuel Ogbemudia to die but you have immortalized his vision.”

The guests and other stakeholders also joined in the commissioning of the Edo Film Project Residence (Edonimose) and the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub Production Centre as well as the inspection of the Radisson Hotel Project presently under construction, all within the Benin metropolis.

Meanwhile, Governor Obaseki has said the investment in the State’s creative, arts and culture sectors over the last eight years, has transformed the State into a centre of excellence for the creative arts, repositioning the State as Africa’s arts, culture, and tourism hub.

The Governor while addressing the diplomatic community, representatives of international museums and other stakeholders at the unveiling and preview of the MOWAA Campus, said the project which is part of the State’s cultural district, holds immense employment and investment potential for the State and will be a key driver of tourism and economic growth.

He said: “Eight years ago when I assumed office, we set out a plan which was very uncertain and difficult. As we laid down our plans on how to regenerate, restore and reform our State, we did what every other government would do.

“First, we built roads, rebuilt our institutions, focused on our economy, dealt with our environment, and built infrastructure; that is what every other government does. But we did one thing that fewer governments would do in defining their agenda for development.

“We brought culture and took art and culture as a priority for our renaissance as a State. If you look through West Africa, I don’t think many places can boast of our kind of heritage. What is fundamental for us is how we, through the centuries, built institutions. That is the representation of who we are but that knowledge has been lost because it was not written down.”

Obaseki disclosed that the reason why his government supported the project was because of the significant opportunities for job creation and the benefits of engaging the people.

Commenting on the former Central Hospital removed from where the museum is being built, the governor said:

“I am sure you heard of the criticism that we brought down a hospital and built a museum. But in two days, we are going to be commissioning one of the biggest hospitals in South-South Nigeria in Benin City. We didn’t pull down a hospital for a museum but rather, we built a museum and built a better hospital.

“Today, we are commissioning projects related to culture and creativity. We just finished unveiling MOWAA as one of our biggest advantages in the State is our culture and history. Our heritage is respected and celebrated around the world. When people come to Edo, they want to see the cultural representation of our culture and history in the city.

“This led us to put together our plans when I became governor in Edo and we brought culture as one of the thematic pillars of this administration that will drive our development. We have designed and created a cultural district for Edo. We are praying and hoping that successive administrations will complete it.

“This facility is part of the cultural district. It’s to provide support to artists to come into the cultural district for performances.”

Also speaking at the commissioning of the Edo State Film Post Production Center, Obaseki urged the people, especially youths to play an active role in safeguarding the progress made in the State in the last eight years, and not allow the State to go back to the dark days of underdevelopment and retrogressiveness.

He said: “We have done several commissions since last week and each of them has its role in our society. Today is different as we are talking about the creativity of our people, building on the heritage that we have, which is across the spectrum of human activities.

“MOWAA, for instance, is a repository where we store, preserve and conserve our past as it is an institute that helps us think about the future. Our cultural district is going to be a major attraction for the City. Edo is the home of culture and we are now creating the space to enable you to see the culture and heritage of the people when you come to Benin City.

“This facility today is helping us complete the circle because we want Edo to be the hub of creativity in Nigeria. Whether we are talking about visual arts, creative arts, film, music, or design, they are all natural to us as the people are here. What the government is doing is creating the enabling environment and the infrastructure to support our people’s creativity.

“This facility which we are commissioning today is a facility that would help artists produce and finish their production as this one is to help them edit their production. It’s an end-to-end service that we are providing for our creatives in Benin City, Nigeria as they don’t need to go abroad to complete their production. Whatever they intend to produce, they produce here in Edo State using this facility.”