President Bola Tinubu has congratulated the Director-General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Olugbile Holloway, on his inclusion in TIME100 Art’s inaugural list of the 100 most influential people shaping the future of art.
The President’s congratulatory message was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Tinubu said the recognition reflected the work Holloway and the NCMM have undertaken to recover Nigeria’s cultural treasures and strengthen institutions responsible for preserving the country’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.
The President said the framework had strengthened Nigeria’s position in engagements with foreign governments, universities and museums over the return of the country’s cultural property.
According to Tinubu, the NCMM, under Holloway’s leadership, secured the return of 119 Benin Bronzes from the Netherlands and the legal transfer of 116 Benin Bronzes from the University of Cambridge.
He added that 18 Benin Bronzes and four Ikom monoliths were also recently returned from Switzerland.
The Commission also launched Nigeria’s first digital museum of antiquities, featuring more than 200 objects from the National Museum, Lagos, which were scanned in three dimensions and made available through an immersive online platform.
Tinubu also commended the renovation of the National Museum, Lagos, noting improvements to its galleries, display systems and facilities for preserving and presenting Nigeria’s cultural heritage.
The President described the return of Nigeria’s cultural property as an important act of historical justice and a restoration of the dignity and memory of the communities from which the objects were taken.
He applauded Holloway for his diplomacy and institutional leadership and congratulated the NCMM staff on the international recognition.
President Tinubu urged the Commission to sustain efforts to recover Nigeria’s cultural property, improve museums across the country and make the nation’s history more accessible to young Nigerians.