By Mark Olaita

It is no longer news that Benin City is one of the richest in cultural heritage all over the world. Most of these cultures were preserved till date of which the National Museum plays a very prominent role.

The location of the National Museum Benin City is at the heart beat of the City. It is situated at a place called Ring road which used to be called King’s Square, now changed to Oba Ovonramwen Square by the present Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams AliuOshiomhole.

The type of heritage property found at Oba Ovonramwen square where the National Museum is situated can be grouped into two parts, namely :movable and immovable heritage,these are both man-made and natural collections.

Frankly speaking, among all the heritage properties both movable and immovable found in the present Oba Ovonramwen square, Benin City, the National Museum building erected in 1973 is still one of the most recent projects compare to other ones. This is excluding the water fountain that was built and declared open to the public by the Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams AliuOshiomhole in the year 2010.

A part from the water fountain project, every other important thing to reckon with within that physical environment is so far older in age than the Museum structure itself. It is obvious that why Brigadier Samuel O.Ogbemudia (rtd) decided to erect the Museum in paripersu with other Monuments in this vicinity is to allow the Museum to complement the already existing historical property vis-à-vis.

The National Museum must have been considered to be the most qualified and suitable institution to accommodate, acquire and care for these great heritage properties (monuments and sites) in such an important place like Oba
Ovonramwen square. Putting sentiment aside, the best place to establish the National Museum in Benin City is no other place than its present location at Oba Ovonramwen square and it should be allowed to function as it ought to be.

It is certain that as the Benin history is old, so it’s archaeological and ethnographic property is old in nature. This includes both the already discovered and the one yet to be discovered. A piece of advice is needed for our archaeologists over any archaeological work to be carried out either now or in the near future at Oba Ovonramwen square.

Proper attention must be paid to these objects whenever any excavation is going to take place especially in this area. This is because those archaeological objects remaining under the ground must have been too fragile due to their old age by today. To embark on proper excavation under such condition, it entails a lot of considerations.

It requires enough tolerance of Edo people and Nigerians, provision of sufficient experts and modern sophisticated equipments among others. If these requirements are met among others, it will prevent any further damage to those hidden precious treasures.

It is optimistic that in the near future when technology would have been more advanced, the kind of archaeological findings to be discovered on this site will be more precious than that of Queen Idia face mask which the European looted in Benin City in 1897.

In a nutshell, as the National Museum Benin City contain much valuable and authentic historical collections displayed within its buildings, so it is loaded with much valuable historical property in its surrounding site area of about 2.466acres for education, entertainment, enjoyment, relaxation and research purposes. The entire Museum environment serves as both physical and spiritual healing home for the Benins irrespective of religious affiliation.