By Simon Ebegbulem
BENIN CITY — THE Benin National Congress, BNC, a Bini socio-cultural organisation, has lamented that the President Goodluck Jonathan-led Federal Government had continued to pay lip service to the persistent call for the repatriation of the priceless Benin artifacts looted by the British in 1914.

It argued that a proactive Federal Government would strive, using diplomatic and international legal means to redress the injustices done to its federating units. The group,  called on President Jonathan to constitute a high powered committee to prosecute the task of repatriation of all looted artifacts from Nigeria.

The national President of the BNC, Aiyemenkhue Edokpolo, made this call on the occasion of the 6th Benin National Merit Award, where five distinguished Nigerians,  including Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, Publisher of Thisday Newspapers, Nduka Obaigbena, Super Eagles Striker, Osaze Odemwingie, Ms Joan Oviawe and Dr. Victor Ogiemwonyi, were conferred with the Benin Merit Award.

Edokpolo, who stressed the need for President Jonathan to ensure that all missing artifacts were recovered, also warned that the over dependence on oil posed a great danger to the nation, adding that “it is high time we appraised other ventures that can generate mass employments for our teeming youths.

“I make bold to say that tourism holds a lot for us if we are sincerely desirous of building its tentacles. It has been argued that our dependence on oil revenue is a reflection of the Dutch disease syndrome whose symptoms include land and environmental degradation; rivers and seas pollution.