
France has formally returned to Nigeria the Nok Terracotta that was repatriated
after it was intercepted in France while on transit from Togo to the United States eight years ago, reports ITRealms.
French Ambassador to
Nigeria Denys Gauer, who officially presented the artifact, a Terracotta figurative sculpture, to the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, at a ceremony
to mark the 2016 International Museum
Day in Abuja on
Wednesday, said, the artifact was intercepted in France as
it was being taken to the United
States on October 22nd, 2008.
In his address, the
Minister thanked the French Government for demonstrating
the will to fight illegal trafficking of cultural artifacts and urged other countries to emulate France.
“I will like to
thank the French Ambassador specially for his country’s show of support in our fight against illicit
trafficking of cultural goods and
their untiring efforts at restitution and return of such items. I wish to recommend this ‘French Model’ to other countries,” he said.
Alhaji Mohammed
re-emphasised the determination of this administration to elevate culture and tourism to the mainstream of the
economy in its quest to diversify
the economy, create wealth and generate employment.
Speaking to the
theme of the 2016 International Museum Day, which is ‘Museums And Cultural Landscapes’, he said the Administration
places high premium on the
development of the nation’s cultural sites and their utilization as veritable tourism products.
‘’We are positive
that in our quest for the diversification of our economic base, this section will provide the needed
instrument to actualize that
goal,” The Minister said.
In his remarks, the
French Ambassador said the presentation of the Nok Terracotta was in line with the International Law and within
the framework of the 1970 UNESCO
Convention aimed at preventing the illicit
import and export of ownership of cultural properties, which was ratified by both France and Nigeria.
He said the gesture
was an illustration of the French policy to fight illegal trade in cultural goods.
The
Nok culture appeared in Nigeria around 1000 B.C. and later vanished under unknown circumstances around 500 AD. It is the
earliest producer of life-sized
Terracotta in sub-Saharan Africa.
Seun Ade/GEE
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