By Gidigba Group
The protests against the commissioning, opening of the Museum of West African Art in the heart of Benin City, the Edo State capital, can best be described for what it is: insane, misdirected—a society like the Benin nation that prides itself as the cradle of culture consciousness must never be seen engaging in such selfish and heartless adventure—to even speak or act against MOWAA is itself evil and anti-progress.
The non-Benins amongst us, would quietly take to the corners to mock the Benins, having successfully led some Benins to protest, speak or act against cultural facility aimed at solidifying the place of the Benins in the global culture community.
Except for the advancement of dirty, petty and primitive politics that has become common place in Okpebholo's Edo, no sane mind should naturally allow himself be used against the actualization of MOWAA, a global culture masterpiece that strategically found its way to Benin under Obaseki's watch.
Whereas you may desire to hate Obaseki, that is an obsession you must have to find a way to deal with, global masterpieces like MOWAA, a cultural facility that perfectly defines Nigeria's robust cultural disposition, situate in Benin City—Africa's go-to home for culture, tradition and custom, should be guarded jealously, for its tourism potentials, economic relevance, culture exposè and the pride and dignity it heralds on the Benin nation.
Unfortunately, the Okpebholo-led government will remain a soured taste in Edo's political discourse—prominent for the dismantling of lasting legacies, yet building none—in one year, the unpopular administration has become a dismantling force, with an apparent look that speaks to the systemic reduction of the Benin nation to rubbles, strip the City of modern innovatives, massage the ego of fifth columnists of Benin extraction, while benching its devious action on a non-existent political correctness.
Nothing can be more unfortunate than an assembly of persons, obviously under external political influence, march against the actualization of MOWAA on Benin soil—this is certainly not the Edo our founding fathers envisaged.
However, we are told in the book of Psalm 30:5 not to tear when evil prevails—that the triumph of evil is but for a while, the joy, blessings and the promise of a new and joyful beginning for Edo is eternal, superseeding anti-progressive politics currently taking its toll on Edo development.
A serious government should naturally be seen interfacing with the global community, exercising levels of sustainability on prideful facilities resident on its soil, like the MOWAA, creating an enabling environment for a robust public-private-partnership driven economy, providing land, security and manpower for private sector growth under its watch, eliminating excessive political interference on economic drivers, building a legacy of development and growth powered by a PPP-driven economy, reversibly however, Edo has fast degenerated to a hub for political muscle-flexing, a centre for legacy disarmament and excessive blame game, a comedy theatre where cross-border area boys dictates the direction of government compass, calling the shots on which inherited facility to be dismantled and which to be spared.
A deep look in States created same time with Edo, one can conclude that, Edo has not progressed in infrastructure, the State cannot be said to be doing well in global rating, its politics has been less visionary, while the State may have produced a number of leaders with national colouration, physical amenities in the State clearly begs for attention, with a low national and global influence that confines the State to a local community—one reason it becomes a sacred duty to protect the MOWAA facility, at least for the global attention it brings on Edo.
To this end, the politically motivated anti-MOWAA protests of Wednesday, that saw to mostly Benins on the frontline, cannot be said to be patriotic, but insane, misdirected, misguided, heartless and wicked—the anti-MOWAA protests, for whatever bad, petty, primitive political intention it seeks to achieve, is a clinical representation of the Benin esoteric phraseology, "uma e gba n'Edo", which, on the one hand, suggests a lack of unity and purpose in the face of progress.
Indeed, the anti-MOWAA protests, now championed by a few government-backed persons, is insane, misdirected; the Okpebholo-led administration ought to understand governance continuity, protect lasting legacies and build more, because the time is short.
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