President Bola Tinubu has congratulated the Director-General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Olugbile Holloway, after his inclusion in TIME magazine’s inaugural TIME100 Art list.
The recognition places Holloway among 100 people identified by TIME as influential figures shaping the future of art, with his selection linked to his work on the recovery, preservation and promotion of Nigeria’s cultural heritage.
According to a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu described the recognition as a reflection of the work undertaken by Holloway and the NCMM to recover Nigeria’s cultural treasures.
Holloway was appointed Director-General of the commission in March 2024 and has since been involved in negotiations surrounding the restitution of Nigerian cultural objects held by institutions abroad.
One of the major developments during his tenure was the return of 119 Benin Bronzes from the Netherlands to Nigeria in 2025.
The NCMM also secured the legal transfer of ownership of 116 Benin artefacts from the University of Cambridge to Nigeria in February 2026, following years of discussions over the objects.
In addition, 18 Benin Bronzes and four Ikom monoliths were recently returned from Switzerland, adding to Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to recover cultural objects held outside the country.
Tinubu said Holloway’s collaboration with the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, had helped establish a framework for the retrieval, conservation and exhibition of returned Benin artefacts.
The President said the framework had strengthened Nigeria’s position in negotiations with foreign governments, universities and museums over the return and management of cultural property.
Tinubu described the repatriation of Nigeria’s cultural treasures as an important act of historical justice and a restoration of the dignity and memory of the communities from which the objects originated.
He also commended Holloway for what he described as the diplomacy and institutional leadership he had brought to the museum commission.
Beyond restitution, the NCMM under Holloway has also launched Nigeria’s first digital museum of antiquities, making more than 200 objects from the National Museum in Lagos available through three-dimensional digital scans and an immersive online platform.
The initiative is intended to expand public access to Nigerian heritage and allow people to explore selected museum objects through digital technology.
Tinubu also highlighted the renovation of the National Museum in Lagos, including upgraded galleries, modern display systems and improved facilities for preserving and presenting cultural materials.
The President urged the NCMM to sustain its efforts to recover Nigerian cultural property and improve museums across the country.
He also called for greater efforts to make Nigeria’s history and cultural heritage more accessible to younger generations.
Holloway’s TIME100 Art recognition comes as cultural restitution remains an international issue involving museums, governments, communities and institutions holding objects acquired during the colonial period.
The recognition also draws attention to the wider role played by museum administrators, cultural policymakers, curators and heritage advocates in shaping contemporary discussions around art.
TIME’s inaugural TIME100 Art list extends beyond practising artists to include people working across museums, galleries, collecting, cultural policy, heritage protection and the international art market.
Holloway’s inclusion therefore places Nigeria’s efforts to recover and preserve its cultural heritage within a broader international conversation about the ownership, protection and future presentation of cultural objects.
The recognition does not end Nigeria’s restitution efforts, as discussions remain ongoing with international institutions holding Nigerian artefacts, including the British Museum.
For Nigeria, the recent returns from the Netherlands and the ownership transfer from Cambridge represent developments in a much longer process of seeking the return and preservation of cultural objects removed from the country.
Tinubu congratulated Holloway and the staff of the NCMM for the international recognition, while urging the commission to continue building on its work of cultural recovery and institutional development.