Museums are places where history is made
tangible. This means that they (museums) contain
relics of cultural materials which have helped
scholars in tracing the cultural roots of individual
groups within a country or region. The historical
stories being read in books, make used of such
relics to enhance knowledge (or learnership) of the
current generation on the past things or societies
that have existed before it. Nigerian museums have
a long history and it is closely linked to the
helpless nature of things regarding the accidental
discovery of certain cultural materials of great
value to man. Considering the fact that they
(accidentally discovered cultural materials) were
disappearing unlawfully against the inherent growth
and development of the cultural sector, the need to
create a safe place was paramount.
From 1950s to date, over twenty museums have
been created to help in the managing of cultural
materials which are mostly artifacts and
ethnographic materials found within Nigeria. There
is virtually no museum in Nigeria that prove to be
different from other ones in terms of their activities
base on the purpose they were established. By
definition, the museums in Nigeria are often viewed
as cultural resource centres charged with
responsibility to collect, store and showcase to the
public the cultural materials of the ancient days. In
view of this, the museums are mostly stock with
antiquities most of which their photographs are
seen in books and other public historical
documents. This makes an indigenous visitor who
visits five Nigeria museums to predict the contents
of the other museums without necessarily visiting
them. Considering this, the patronage of Nigeria
museums is on the downward curve.
The most important thing however, is that,
Nigerians are no longer curious about there past;
rather, they are more concerned about their future.
That does not mean that the cultural materials
housed in museums located in various states in
the country are not relevant. The Nigeria people
want to have renewed ways of approaching cultural
issues. For example, during my research in 2005, I
met an artist who have practiced in Jos for over
five years and only visited Jos Museum only once.
His argument was that there no new things in
Nigeria museums because all the museums he has
visited in other states have the same cultural
material with just a little modification in the
arrangement/set-up. The only exception however,
is the War museum in Umuaifa and the Military
museum in Zaria.
At the moment, it appears that Nigerian museums
must diversify in their cultural programmes in
serving the public. This is because the traditional
role of collection, housing and showcasing to the
public is fast becoming un-motivating to the
general public. National Commission for Museums
and Monuments (NCMM) as an umbrella body of
public museums in Nigeria should look toward
making polices that will rejuvenate museums. New
cultural programmes involving youths should be
carried out to improve public patronage.

Source; http://art-in-disguise..co.id/2011/03/nigerian-museums-what-they-offer-for.html?m=1

@ lalastica please front page

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp2HSu4FvzM

Today is International Museum Day.
Adesuwa Lato in a chat with the Curator, National Museum, Benin City, Mr. Theophilus Umogbai emphasized the importance of museum to the development of the country.