‘Museums, archives get facelift’

Over 20 museums and archives in the country were rehabilitated in 2009,  Mr George Ufot, the Director of Culture, Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation has said .

Ufot said  on Sunday in Abuja, that the facelift was made possible by the funds recommended by the Presidential Implementation Committee on Museums and Archives.

“The Presidential Implementation Committee on Museum and Archives has been up_stream for the past three years, but last year the project was financed.

“This has made it possible for no fewer than 20 museums and archives to be rehabilitated and reconstructed,” he pointed out.
Ufot said that before the rehabilitation, many of them had dilapidated, adding that they were however, now renewed.

“If one visits our museums today, you will see that there is a sense of newness; new equipment have been bought and a lot of construction is going on,” he added.

The director described the rehabilitation and reconstruction as “a tangible and practical result of the committee’s assignment. ”
He said that some of the rehabilitated museums and archives were located in Lagos, Benin, Jos, Enugu, Anambra and Ibadan.
The National Commission controls the registration and clearance for export of antiquities as well as arts and crafts.

There are severe penalties for attempting to export antiquities without a permit issued by the National Commission for Museum and Monuments.