The Edo State House of Assembly has called on former Governor Godwin Obaseki and the Director of the Museum of West African Art, MOWAA, Philip Iheanacho, to appear before lawmakers for questioning over the funding of both the MOWAA project and the Radisson Hotel initiative.
This request was contained in a statement released on Thursday by Bekisu Oshone-Wilson, Secretary to the House Committee overseeing the investigation. The statement noted that all those invited must appear before the committee on December 4, 2025.
Among others summoned are former Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie; former Commissioner for Finance, Joseph Eboigbe; former Attorney General, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi; and the Managing Director of Tilbury House Nigeria Limited.
Also included are Pramod Thorat, Project Manager of the Hospitality Investment and Management Company, HIMC; Ugochukwu Anigbogu, Managing Director of Afrinvest Capital Limited; along with the Managing Directors of Meristem Trustees Limited and Emerging Africa Trustees Limited.
The Radisson Hotel project has been widely criticised after claims surfaced that billions of naira had already been spent, even though the site has now been abandoned. This development has triggered concerns about how public funds were used and monitored.
The MOWAA project has also become controversial, especially regarding its use of a large plot of land belonging to the State Hospital in Benin. Disagreements have emerged between the museum authorities and local stakeholders who are questioning the legitimacy of the land acquisition.
Benin indigenes have further raised objections about the location of the museum, arguing that a facility intended for receiving returned artifacts should not be built outside the Oba of Benin’s palace. The artifacts were originally seized during the British invasion of the Benin Empire in 1897, and locals insist that they must be returned to their rightful home.
Oshone-Wilson stressed that the presence of Obaseki and all other invited individuals is vital for the committee to properly carry out its investigation and obtain clarity on the controversial spending and decisions surrounding the projects.
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