Di wahala wey follow Nigeria ogbonge $25 million museum and di Benin Bronzes

Nigeria fine new Museum of West African Art (Mowaa) don dey di centre of one political wahala for Edo State di same week wey e suppose open to di public for di first time.

Di museum sidon on top six hectares (15 acres) of land for di center of Benin City, wey be Edo State capital for southern Nigeria. Di place include one archaeological dig site and fine buildings wey British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye design, na di same man wey design di National Museum of African American History and Culture wey open for Washington for 2016.

Dem don dey work on dis project for five years, and di idea na to celebrate both old and new creativity for di region wey famous for di Benin Bronzes - artworks wey British soldiers carry comot from di Oba palace for 19th century.

Before di planned opening, di whole Mowaa building dey shine and full of staff wey wan prove say di museum fit compete wit any top museum or gallery for Western countries.

Inside, conservators dey carefully open artworks from protective packaging, check each piece well, and record everything before dem hang am for wall or place am for stands.

Technicians dey adjust di climate control system, while officers for dia materials science lab dey set up equipment wey go help preserve artefacts wey don last for hundreds of years.

Di project na idea from businessman Phillip Ihenacho, wey now be di executive director of Mowaa.

"I want make we get big economic impact for di communities around here" e tell BBC, e add say e wan make Benin City turn to "a cultural destination."

Mowaa, wey be non-profit Nigerian institution, tok say e plan to create more dan 30,000 direct and indirect jobs and contribute over $80 million (£60m) eviri year to di regional creative economy through partnership and different cultural programs.

E don take $25m (£19m) to reach dis level, money wey come from different donors, including di French and German govments, di British Museum, and di Edo State govment.

But now, di local govment don withdraw di land wey dem build di museum on top.

One Edo State spokesperson tell BBC say di reason be say na sake of say for di original document, di museum call imsef Edo Museum of West African Art, but later di "Edo" name comot from di title.

Dis announcement hapun afta protests on Sunday, wen pipo storm di campus and demand make dem call am di Benin Royal Museum.

One group wey vex insult foreign guests wey come for di opening, forcing police to rush carry di guests comot under escort.

President Bola Tinubu don even chook mouth inside di mata to calm everything down, e set up one high-level committee to do damage control.

But di question be say how di tin take turn into big politics and one public relations wahala?

Evritin dey point to local political fight for Edo State, bicos di former Govnor Godwin Obaseki wey support di museum from day one, na di main person wey push di project before im tenure end last year.

Now, di new govnor wey be padi-padi to di Oba of Benin, look like e wan get more control for di museum project.

Di protesters on Sunday even demand say di museum must dey under Oba Ewuare II authority.

Dis mata don bring back di long argument about di Benin Bronzes one of Africa most famous cultural treasures.

Even if di museum finally open, di bronze dem no go still dey inside.

Dis na brass, ivory, and wooden sculptures wey dem use to decorate di Benin royal palace before British soldiers loot dem for 1897 during dia military invasion.

Today, thousands of dem still dey inside big museums across Europe and North America like di British Museum, Berlin Humboldt Forum, and di Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Di mata about dia return don turn one of di biggest global debates for di art world. Around 150 bronzes don return home, and more still go come back.

Wen dem first announce plans for di museum for Benin City in 2019, pipo for Nigeria art world bin hope say e go be di perfect home to display di returned bronzes- one modern cultural complex wey go showcase West African heritage to di world.

But confusion start two years ago wen di federal govment tok say di Oba of Benin na di rightful owner and custodian of any returned bronzes and di royal palace begin push make di museum dey under dia direct control, sometin wey former Govnor Obaseki no gree for.

Dis one leave Mowaa for one kind delicate position: dem wan show clear stand about returning artefacts, but still dey try maintain peace wen e reach who go own am and dat na wetin make dem comot "Edo" from di museum name.

Mr Ihenacho tok say, "One of di tins wey don always dey worry me be say from day one, we don tok say we go focus on di modern and contemporary art.

"But sake of how di West dey always tok about di return of di Benin Bronzes, everybody dey see us like na di museum wey go collect am. Di wahala be say, we no be di owners, and we no get any legal right over di bronzes."

Im goal na to build one place wey go support modern African creativity including film, photography, music, dance, and fashion no be only art for wall.

"Yes, we go still look back to history, but di main purpose na to inspire wetin dey hapun today" e tok

E add say, "We don turn into museum wey dey create one full system wey go help creatives across West Africa."

From one young Nigerian artist wey move come from di US come work as conservator, to fresh graduates wey dey do dia national youth service, to one Ghanaian PhD student wey dey do research for Mowaa, di place don already turn into a place of regional collaboration.

Eweka Success, 23-year-old sculpture graduate from University of Benin, wey don tour di place, say e happy for di opportunity.

E tok say plenty pipo for dis city no too care about di restitution tok, but di museum still get value.

"Many of us never even see di original bronzes before, but for here we fit study di design, di technique, and di history well."

Cultural expert Oluwatoyin Sogbesan agree say di tok about restitution don turn something wey only elites dey follow.

She tok say, "ordinary pipo dey worry about how to survive, go work, and feed family. Plenty no even sabi wetin be bronzes."

For her, restitution suppose go beyond just returning artefacts — e suppose also bring back memory and language.

She explain say, "We need to decolonise di word 'Benin Bronzes' imsef.

Make we call dem by dia original Edo name – 'Emwin Arre' (wey mean 'Cultural Tins') - na so di pipo wey make am for Benin go call am."

Dis idea fit well wit di museum first exhibition wey dem plan to open to di public - Homecoming.

E feature works from big artists like Yinka Shonibare, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Precious Okoyomon, and Tunji Adeniyi-Jones - many of dem dey live for abroad and no dey show dia works for Nigeria often.

Shonibare own work, Monument to the Restitution of the Mind and Soul, get special position for di exhibition e be pyramid-shaped structure wey get more dan 150 clay replicas of di Benin Bronzes.

E tell BBC say, "To create dis kind monument na one way to acknowledge di trauma wey come from di looting of those spiritual artefacts. Na deep emotional connection wit di pain of di invasion."

E tok say e choose clay on purpose, as sign of connection to di Benin land imsef.

"In today world, e be like say we don dey far from nature, but our ancestors get strong bond and respect for am," e tok.

Di pyramid remind pipo of Africa ancient wonders, while di replicas represent absence and memory.

Shonibare explain say "di work na conceptual tok about di meaning of absence and di spiritual importance of di bronzes. In one way, di work be like healing process almost like mourning."

Anoda artwork wey catch plenty attention na Ndidi Dike 2016 mixed-media piece wey she call National Grid. Di work talk about power both electric and political.

For Nigeria, light dey go off well-well and pipo don almost accept am as normal part of life. Dike use dis same idea as metaphor to question how bad govnance and poor infrastructure don affect di kontri.

Dis message go surely touch di pipo wey dey work for Mowaa, especially dis week. But dem fit still hold small hope for wetin di culture minister, Hannatu Musawa, tok as she lead di presidential committee wey wan settle di matter:

"Cultural institutions na di pillars of our national identity and dem must dey protected through joint efforts wey go respect both traditional ownership and modern structures.," Hannatu Musawa tok.

Even though some pipo fear say di wahala fit spoil efforts to bring Africa stolen art back home especially as Western museums dey use di issue of conservation as excuse, di team for Mowaa still dey strong.

Dem believe say dia creativity fit redefine wetin a modern African museum suppose be weda dem get di old artefacts or not.