The Edo State House of Assembly has summoned former Governor Godwin Obaseki and the Director of the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA), Philip Iheanacho, to appear before it for questioning over the funding of the MOWAA project and the Radisson Hotel development.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by Bekisu Oshone-Wilson, who serves as Secretary to the House Committee in charge of the investigation, all those invited are expected to appear before the committee on December 4, 2025.
Others listed for questioning include 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 invited are Pramod Thorat, Project Manager of Hospitality Investment and Management Company, HIMC; Ugochukwu Anigbogu, Managing Director of Afrinvest Capital Limited; as well as the Managing Directors of Meristem Trustees Limited and Emerging Africa Trustees Limited.
The Radisson Hotel project has faced criticism after reports indicated that billions of naira had already been spent on it, yet the project remains abandoned. This has raised serious concerns about the management and accountability of public funds.
The MOWAA project has also generated tension, particularly over the use of a large tract of land belonging to the State Hospital in Benin. There have been disagreements between the museum’s management and local stakeholders regarding the appropriation of the land.
In addition, some indigenes of Benin have questioned the choice of location for the museum, which is intended to house artefacts returned from Europe. They insist that the artefacts, which were taken during the British invasion of the Benin Empire in 1897, ought to be returned to their original location within the Oba of Benin’s palace.
Oshone-Wilson emphasised that the presence of Obaseki and the other invited officials is essential to assist the committee in its ongoing investigation and to clarify their roles in the controversial projects.
