Attention Minister Adetokunbo Kayode: Before the hammer falls on Museums
By Wale Ojo Lanre
The contestants
TTH sincerely
craves the attention of the Minister of Tourism and Culture, Barrister Adetokunbo Kayode to the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) which is being probed.
The fire at the museum deserves a clinical approach and careful handling hence it may consume the total fabric of that institution.
The way it is now, if the Minister is not careful, he may throw the bad water away with the baby or at best, throw the baby away leaving the bad water, all options will be disastrous again.
This is why one is constrained to resort to this, after many futile efforts at talking to the Minister on the museum issue.
The museum issue is not one, which the Minister can afford to make any false move, for whatever we do today is history tomorrow.
TTH has the history of always calling the attention of tourism administrators to matters arising, while some heeded to their own benefits, others turned deaf ears to their own peril and one believes that Barrister Adetokunbo Kayode is one person, who has a date with history at the ministry and he will write his name in gold. This is because, the ministerialship is not his political bus-stop.
Over 16 months ago, when Dr. Joe Eboreime was seconded to the museum as the DG from NTDC, TTH wrote a memo on this page to the then Minister of Tourism and Culture, Barrister Femi Fani-Kayode with the headline “who will save museum from collapse.”
In the said article, TTH emphasized that, though Dr. Joe Eboreime, was a good choice, being a professional anthropologist and a man who had spent almost the better part of his life at the museum but there is nothing much he can do unless the Minister energized him to rid the museum of the powerfully vicious cabal that has been running National Commission for Museums and Monuments in the last 20 years.
The article even pointed out that it was the same dreadful cabal that accelerated the death of Dr. Omotoso Eluyemi who came with a vision of turning round the museum.
Dr. Eluyemi was able to resist some of the cabal’s unpatriotic moves in his first term tenure with the backing of the then Chairman, Board of National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Professor Olu Obafemi, hence the modicum of achievements recorded by the late former DG.
Sensing that Dr. Eluyemi was driving them out of relevance, the cabal during his second term intestified and lubricated its monstrous machinery and reenergized its tentacles. It ensured that all the moves made by Dr. Eluyemi to reposition NCMM was frustrated and sabotaged.
The cabal pressurized and exerted influence on Dr. Eluyemi through many diabolic means, which eventually had a rebound on the Ile-Ife Prince’s health, and the man collapsed and died to the shame of the cabal.
It is the same cabal that controls the artefacts pilfering ring that operates at National Commission for Museums and Monument.
So, anybody, who is posted to NCMM and ready to work as supposed will face the wrath of the almighty cabal, and that’s what happened to one of the best archaeologists ever produced in Nigeria, Late Chief (Dr.) Omotoso Eluyemi; the Apena of Ife.
He was killed by the cabal.
After the death of Dr. Eluyemi, and no one was immediately seconded to NCMM, the cabal utilized the interregnum to fastened its hold on NCMM and made oath that unless one of them was appointed the DG, it would frustrate and destroy whoever is appointed out of the cabal.
That was the situation when Dr. Eboreime was appointed and this page duly warned the then Minister to check the activities of the cabal.
But he never did.
So dear Minister, whatever is happening now should be viewed in perspective with this short background.
Dr. Eboreime is human, with capacity for foibles and failures, but he is a victim of circumstances, of conspirators and of the dreadful cabal that must be uprooted, if NCMM must live to expectation.
Sir, don't you ponder on this question, why has successive DG of NCMM never left the post unscathed? Prof. Ade Obayemi died in an unusual circumstances! Alhaji Gella left unceremoniously! Dr. Eluyemi's death is suspicious! There was resisted attempt at bringing back Eboreime, but he assumed office only to be thrown into the midst of a rapacious blood sucking cabal which has been flaunting that Eboreime would go as the Committee set up to investigate the NCMM is made up of their loyalists.
It is left for the Minister to apply his Solomonic wisdom at sieving whatever the committee shun out.
The cabal must not have their way again.
Let's save our museums from deadly gang and destructive elements.
I rest my case.
Wishing the minister a happy and prosperous new year.
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