President Tinubu congratulates NCMM DG Olugbile Holloway on his TIME100 Art recognition and praises efforts to recover Nigeria’s cultural heritage.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulated the Director-General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Mr Olugbile Holloway, on his inclusion in the inaugural TIME100 Art list of the 100 most influential people shaping the future of art.
The recognition comes as the NCMM continues efforts to recover Nigerian cultural treasures and strengthen institutions responsible for preserving and presenting the country’s heritage. TIME’s inaugural TIME100 Art list recognises influential figures across the global art ecosystem, including museum leaders, curators, artists, collectors and other cultural figures.
Holloway was appointed Director-General of the NCMM by President Tinubu in March 2024. Since then, the Commission has played a prominent role in negotiations surrounding the return and management of Nigerian cultural artefacts held abroad.
Under Holloway’s leadership, the Commission secured the return of 119 Benin Bronzes from the Netherlands. The Dutch government confirmed that the artefacts, which were taken from the Kingdom of Benin during the 1897 British attack, were formally returned to Nigeria in June 2025.
The University of Cambridge also transferred legal ownership of 116 Benin artefacts to the NCMM in February 2026, following a formal request for their return. The university said most of the objects would be physically transferred to Nigeria, while 17 would remain temporarily on loan for display and research.
More recently, Swiss institutions returned 18 Benin artefacts to Nigeria, with the NCMM involved in the restitution process. The returned objects include pieces from collections investigated through provenance research involving Swiss and Nigerian experts.
President Tinubu also commended the Commission’s work on the digital preservation of Nigeria’s antiquities and the renovation of the National Museum, Lagos, including upgraded galleries and improved facilities for preserving and displaying cultural heritage.
The President described the return of Nigeria’s cultural property as an important act of historical justice and a restoration of the dignity and memory of the communities from which the objects were taken.
He commended Holloway for his diplomatic engagement and institutional leadership and congratulated the staff of the NCMM on the international recognition.
President Tinubu urged the Commission to sustain efforts to recover Nigeria’s cultural property, improve museums across the country and make the nation’s history more accessible to younger Nigerians.
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