Tinubu hails NCMM DG for making TIME100 Art list

President Bola Tinubu praised the Director-General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Olugbile Holloway, for being named to TIME100 Art's list of the 100 most influential people shaping the future of art. Tinubu's congratulatory statement highlighted Holloway's role in recovering Nigeria's cultural treasures, renewing institutions responsible for preserving them, and securing the return of stolen Nigerian artefacts.

Since his appointment in March 2024, Holloway has worked with the Oba of Benin to establish a framework for retrieving, conserving, and exhibiting returned Benin artefacts. Under his leadership, the commission has also secured the legal transfer of Benin Bronzes from the University of Cambridge and returned Benin Bronzes and Ikom monoliths from Switzerland.

Tinubu commended the commission for establishing Nigeria's first digital museum of antiquities and renovating the National Museum, Lagos, with improved facilities for preserving Nigeria's cultural heritage. The President emphasized the importance of returning Nigeria's cultural property as a gesture of historical justice and a restoration of dignity and memory for affected communities.

He praised Holloway's diplomacy and institutional leadership, urging the commission to continue its efforts to recover cultural property, improve museums, and make Nigeria's history more accessible to young Nigerians.