A former federal lawmaker, Shehu Sani, has claimed that Nigeria is the only country without a museum in its capital city.
Senator Sani made the claim on X (formerly Twitter) while reacting to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visit to Qatar where he and his entourage were taken on a tour of various Qatari monuments and the National Museum of Qatar by its Director, Abdulaziz bin Hamad Al Thani.
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The post read: “I saw the President in the Qatar Museum.If the Emir of Qatar visits Abuja,there is no Museum to take him to.Budget after budget,Nigeria is the only country in the World without a Museum in its capital city.Right now,since the termination of the former DG of the National museum,the new one is yet to takeover.”
The claim has generated over 2,500 likes, more than 400 reposts and almost 400 comments, as of March 12, 2024.
CLAIM
There are no museums in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
Checks show that Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, Abuja has several museum centres which serve as a hub of tourism and attractions for visitors from across the country and beyond its borders.
For instance, Thought Pyramid Art Centre located at Wuse 2 in Abuja is an innovative art and museum centre dedicated to promoting contemporary art and culture in Nigeria.
It also serves as a hub for artists, art enthusiasts, and the public to engage with various forms of artistic expression, including visual arts, performances, excursions and events that contribute to the cultural enrichment of the community and the development of arts in Nigeria.
Similarly, there’s the “Discovery Museum” in Abuja which is touted as Nigeria’s first digital museum. The centre comprises both Adult and Children’s museums.
Founded in July 2021, the museum synchronizes art, tech, and history and it was built at the focal point of the Art Tech District. It features physical artifacts, virtual reality, and digital art gallery, among others.
Femi Gbajabiamila, the current Chief of Staff to President Tinubu, who is also a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, visited the centre in April 2023.
Other places where museums can be found in the FCT are Reto Africa located in Asokoro, Orisun Art Gallery located in the Central Business District and Nike Art Gallery located in Piwoyi village in the FCT. Abuja’s Nike Arts Gallery was commissioned in March 2023.
THE VERDICT
The claim by Shehu Sani that there’s no museum in Abuja is FALSE; findings show that there are various museum centres in Nigeria’s capital city.
Nurudeen Akewushola is a fact-checker with FactCheckHub. He has authored several fact checks which have contributed to the fight against information disorder. You can reach him via [email protected] and @NurudeenAkewus1 via Twitter.
