MOWAA Part Three: Edo Paid First — Obaseki, Iheanacho, and the Donors Who Came After

 

Documents relating to the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) reveal a funding structure that sharply contradicts the public narrative of a donor-driven heritage initiative. While MOWAA has been widely presented as a global philanthropic project supported by international partners, official correspondence, payment records, and funding schedules show that Edo State Government provided the land, paid first, absorbed financial risk, and ultimately financed almost the entire original cost of the pavilion.

The Approved Cost

The Bill of Quantities prepared by SEA Surveyors Limited fixed the cost of the EMOWAA Pavilion at ₦4.15 billion. This figure represented the official tender value, covering construction, preliminaries, external works, contingencies, and VAT. It is the benchmark against which all subsequent payments must be measured.

Donor Funding Was Conditional

Contrary to the perception that donor funds led the project, a formal letter dated 21 March 2022, issued by Legacy Restoration Trust and signed by Philip Iheanacho, made it clear that international donor funding — specifically from Germany — would not be released until Edo State first deposited ₦800 million as counterpart funding. Edo’s payment was therefore not supplementary; it was a precondition.

Edo Paid First

Five days later, on 26 March 2022, Edo State Government confirmed budgetary provision of ₦2 billion for museum infrastructure and approved the immediate release of ₦800 million. A payment voucher subsequently confirmed that the amount was paid into the account of Legacy Restoration Trust Ltd/GTE as counterpart funding for the pavilion.

At this point, donor funds had not yet been released. Edo’s money effectively activated the project.

Counterpart Funding Escalated

Rather than tapering after initial donor inflows, Edo State continued to fund the project in multiple tranches to meet construction timelines and rising costs. Documented payments and requests show:

initial tranches of ₦300 million and ₦700 million,

confirmation of ₦1.5 billion already paid, and

further requests for ₦1 billion, justified by inflation, foreign exchange volatility, and material cost increases.

By 2023–2024, Edo State’s total exposure had climbed to approximately ₦3.8 billion — nearly the full original pavilion cost of ₦4.15 billion.

Edo Bore the Risk

Throughout this period, Edo State:

provided prime land for the project, with no publicly disclosed valuation or equity recognition;

absorbed inflationary pressures as costs escalated;

bore foreign exchange risk arising from naira depreciation; and

responded to repeated funding appeals to prevent construction delays.

In effect, Edo State functioned as the financial shock absorber for the project.

Donor Claims and the Sequence Problem

While Edo continued to pay, public statements at international and local forums by Philip Iheanacho and Ike Chioke, presented as the drivers of MOWAA’s fundraising, stated that over $25 million had been raised internationally.

The sequence exposed by the documents raises a fundamental inconsistency: if donor funds were available at that scale, why did Edo need to continue releasing billions to keep the project afloat? The records show donor commitments following, not preceding, Edo’s payments.

One Financial Pipeline

Despite name changes — from Legacy Restoration Trust to EMOWAA and later MOWAA — all funding appeals and payment instructions directed funds through the same structure. Correspondence requesting funds, acknowledging payments, and urging urgency consistently bore the same signatory.

For a project combining public funds, international donations, and cultural heritage assets, this concentration of financial control stands out against accepted governance norms that typically require multi-signatory and institutional safeguards.

A Donor Initiative or a Taxpayer Project?

Taken together, the documents establish a clear sequence:

Edo provided the land.

Edo paid first.

Edo unlocked donor participation.

Edo absorbed inflation and FX risk.

Edo’s payments nearly matched the project’s original cost.

Yet the project continued to be publicly framed as donor-led.

This is the core discrepancy. A project built on Edo land, justified by Edo heritage, stabilised by Edo funds, and de-risked by Edo taxpayers cannot credibly be described as donor-driven without full financial reconciliation and disclosure.

Why the Questions Persist

The issue is not artistic ambition or cultural value. It is financial truth and public accountability. At minimum, the records warrant:

a consolidated, audited statement of all donor inflows and public payments,

a clear reconciliation of the $25 million fundraising claims with actual receipts,

disclosure of how public funds were protected, and

governance arrangements that reflect Edo’s dominant financial exposure.

Until these questions are answered, the gap between public narrative and documented reality will continue to fuel scrutiny.

Osigwe Omo-Ikirodah

Principal and CEO, Bush Radio Academy