Benin National Congress

Oba Erediauwa 30th Coronation Anniversary and the insensitivity of the Looters of Benin Artefacts- being an open letter to the British High Commission and UNESCO by the Benin National Congress 14th April 2009.

Your Excellency,

The Benin National Congress as you may well know; is a pan Benin Socio-cultural organization that is committed to peaceful coexistence of ethnic nationalities of Nigeria; the promotion of progressive cultural values and norms; the projection of credible and distinguished sons and daughters of Edo State within economic and political spheres as well as the defence of the esteemed ideals of the Binis worldwide. A careful appraisal of the Congress will reveal very uncompromising stands it has been advocating in the larger interest of peace and justice.

It is with a great depth of grief from the bottom of our hearts that we formally express our disenchantment at the gross insensitivity of your Home Government (Britain) over the plight of our very patient and hospitable people whom are still waiting for the great day that the precious artefacts of her ancestors which were carted away from their ancestral shrines (Ogua-edion n' karo) over a hundred and eleven years ago will be handed over to the people and Government of Nigeria for onward replacement to their original place of abode; sacrificial offerings notwithstanding. We had hoped that an auspicious occasion as the historic 30th anniversary of His Majesty, Omo n' Oba Erediauwa C.F.R. would have provided an ample ground to return the looted Benin artefacts of 1897 or at least reassure us of efforts to fulfil the obligation on time.
We are constrained to observe that it amounts to double standard for your home country to continue to carry-on as an ambassador of world peace and justice and yet refused to honour very honest, progressive and proactive pressures on her Majesty- Queen Elizabeth and the office of the Prime Minister to return the immortal-intellectual properties of the great people of Benin Kingdom whose properties and treasures were violently and diabolically looted; destroyed amongst other inhuman physical and psychological persecutions melted on them. Granted that such ceremony as the Obas's anniversary provides a natural atmosphere for reconciliation; renewal of mutual accords and restitution which is key to enduring peace and progress. We are to say the least debased by the continued imprisonment of Benin Artefacts as though they are prisoners of war.

Our people are still contending with the cultural and psychological trauma over that ugly incidence till date, and only a genuine restitution by your Government with respect to the repatriation of the looted items will atone for the generational assault. As a conscious stakeholder in this struggle, we are aware that intelligence report is indicative that the Benin Artefacts constitutes a greater part of the internally generated revenues of your Home country; yet, your government and United Nations Agency for Education, Scientific and Cultural Organizations (UNESCO) have consistently advocated diversionary measures as the panacea for the repatriation of these assets. Our worry is that, this theory tends to justify the criminal expedition of 1897; colonial conquest of the old Benin Empire and the unjust deportation of our revered Oba Ovonramwen amongst other atrocities. As far as we are concerned Criminality and Justice are universally unambiguous terms and are not subjugated to the imaginary boundaries of languages.

We are nonetheless aware of international conspiracies by faceless groups of persons in Nigeria and abroad to down-play the campaign for the return of these priceless substances, we wish to place on record that like the Martin Luther King's (Jnr.) dream, the agitations for the repatriation of Benin Artefacts will grew up to question the concept of international diplomacies; international justice and international relations as they appears to be determined or defined at the whims and caprices of the High and Mighty in the international arena. We seek the euphoria of this auspicious ceremony (the 30th Coronation anniversary of Oba Erediauwa) to appeal to you to use your good offices to intervene in the over a century old agitation.
The mass of Edo State people may be tempted to seek self-help as alternative measures since all diplomatic appeals have seemingly failed. We abhor violence; yet no oppressed and robbed people will completely renounce radical dimensions of agitation hence as a senior stakeholder in the Benin Artefacts Repatriation Campaign (BARC), we passionately submit that your High Commission should use its good offices to strengthen the decades of mutual relations between your government; the Benin nation and the comity of Nigeria's ethnic nationalities in general by complying to this all-important demand. We wish to place on record that we may mobilise our people to your Embassy abroad; the Nigeria High Commission in London and UNESCO headquarters for a peaceful protest or seek appropriate Court measures if our appeal is not attended to; within the context of setting realistic measures for the repatriation of Benin Artefacts within ninety days of publication of this letter.

Thanks.
Yours Sincerely,
Mr. Emwanta Osaghae- Director; Bureau for Cultural Research.

Please all email correspondences should be kindly address to: beninnationalcongress@yahoo.com

Cc;

The Comrade Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole
The Hon. Minister for Justice and Attorney General of the Federation
The Nigeria Office of UNESCO
The Nigeria Barr Association
All National Assembly Members from Edo State
All Edo State House of Assembly Members
Ethnic Nationalities Movement