Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, has asked the Prince of Wales, Charles George, to support the agitation for the repatriation of ancient Benin artifacts which were taken to the United Kingdom in 1897 by the British authorities.
He stated that the repatriation of the artifacts would enable him to establish Oba Palace Museum for the promotion of tourism in Benin City, Edo State.
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Some of the traditional rulers with
Prince Charles |
The monarch made the demand in a statement he delivered during a closed-door meeting with the heir to the British royal throne at the UK High Commissioner residence in Maitama, Abuja, on Tuesday.
Other traditional rulers at the meeting included the Ooni of Ife, Enitan Ogunwusi; Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar; Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe; Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, and others.
Charles, who had earlier visited President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, was on the last leg of his tour of the Gambia, Ghana, and Nigeria with his wife, Camilla, theDuchess of Cornwall.
The Benin monarch traced the relationship between his kingdom and the British empire and lauded the robust collaboration between the two kingdoms over time.
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Receiving staff of office in
Benin to begin his reign |
Ewuare said, “Suffice to say that Nigerians in general and Benin people in particular will be most delighted to have your royal highness throw his royal weight behind our efforts to have some of our ancient artifacts that were taken in 1897 from the Royal
Court of Benin returned to Benin to establish Oba Palace Museum for the promotion of tourism in Benin City, Edo State.”
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