Nigeria Content Online

The National
Museum, Onikan, Lagos, was unusually busy on September 1 when it played
host to the Minister of Tourism, Culture, and National Orientation,
Abubakar Sadiq Mohammed, who arrived just in time to re-commission the
General Murtala Mohammed Gallery, and also open an exhibition of
pottery in Nigeria.

Surprisingly, and
quite unlike many Nigerian events, the occasion began right at the
stipulated time -11am, with cultural displays by the museum staff
followed by brief speeches by the minister; the director general of the
National Commission of Museums and Monuments, Yusuf Abdullah Usman; and
the National Museum curator, Ibironke Ashaye.

The event, which
was put together as part of activities to mark Nigeria’s golden jubilee
independence celebration, which is just a few weeks away, attracted
guests from all walks of life.

In his opening
speech, the minister said the re-commissioning of the gallery was aimed
at “reminding [Nigerians] about our diverse but similar heritage, the
sacrifice of our founding fathers, some of whom lost their lives to
ensure that Nigeria is not only united, but stands as an independent
sovereign nation, which it is today.”

He added that the
pottery exhibition will go a long way to remind Nigerians of the
importance of the art of pottery, which represents the indigenous
cultural art that abounds in the country.

The opening

After the brief
talks, all roads led to the new-look Murtala Mohammed Gallery, located
a few kilometres from the main gate. Many present were impressed at the
level of rehabilitation that had gone into the project. A few chuckles
could also be heard by some others who felt that it was a long time
coming and should not have been neglected until now, just as the
jubilee independence celebration draws near.

A tour round the
‘Nigeria Yesterday and Today’ exhibition immediately struck a chord
with many who confessed that they felt transported way back to the
country’s political history. The main attraction was the bullet-riddled
Mercedes Benz 230.6 of the late military ruler, Murtala Mohammed.
Besides this, displayed in black and white on the walls, were images of
past Nigerian leaders from the colonial era to the present time.

Prior to this
section, initial pictures on view included those of the past Ooni of
Ife, Oba Adesoji Aderemi; Oba Akitoye of Lagos; and the Emir of Kano;
while the portrait of Nigeria’s president, Jonathan Goodluck, and his
deputy, Namadi Sambo, completed the roll call. There were also shots of
King Jaja of Opobo, and the lowering of the Union Jack flag when
Nigeria gained independence in 1960.

As the minister was
shown round the gallery, a guest who had taken a cursory look at the
images drew the attention of a friend to the poor quality, due to
over-reproduction or poor scanning.

Eyes kept returning
to Murtala Mohammed’s car. Although it’s been 34 years since the 1976
coup which claimed the life of the late Head of State and many actors
have long left the scene, the red upholstery of his Mercedes Benz
reminded one of the murderous violence of his death, on February 13,
1976.

The Pottery Exhibition

Moving on to the
Pottery Exhibition, the building, which houses the various pots on
display, was not as roomy as the Murtala Mohammed Gallery. However, a
look at the pottery arrangements and information displayed reveal that
much time and energy had gone into putting it together.

The minister was
once again taken on a tour of the various items on show. As usual,
there were so many security personnel and entourage around him that it
was almost impossible for visitors to appreciate the items.

On display were
earthen wares from various parts of the country. One information worthy
of note was the fact that pottery was used for various purposes ranging
from decorative, burial (Dakakari people of north western Nigeria),
musical (common to the Igbo, Yoruba, and other ethnic groups), to
domestic purposes.

Going round the
exhibition space, a dimly-lit thatched roof hut that houses a
traditional furnace became quite conspicuous, and thus caught the eyes
of all present.

After a nearly
two-hour tour of both projects, the minister, Abubakar Sadiq Mohammed,
took his leave, but not without fielding questions from journalists.

Although his
answers were mostly one-liners, he reiterated the ministry’s plan
towards ensuring that tourism in Nigeria ranks first in the world.

At the end of the
day, it seemed as though the whole exhibition was all about the
minister because no sooner had he left than the halls were empty. They
would unfortunately remain so until the next day’s round of visitors,
as the exhibition opened properly to the public.

The Pottery Exhibition is on display at the museum for nine months.