The National Museums and Monuments , Lafia, Nasarawa State, say it is eady to partner with traditional rulers in its campaign to stop demolition of monuments and the selling of artifacts.
The curator of the museum in the state , Mrs Elizabeth Kefas, gave the assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lafia on Saturday.
She expressed concern that monuments and artifacts, regarded as sgnificant in history keeping, were being sold, ignorantly in the state.
According to her, partnering with traditional rulers, who are the custodians of cultures and traditions, and and highly respected by their subjects, will help the museum in its campaign.
The curator explained that the museum served as history-keeping channel to communicate history and cultural heritage through pictorial forms, textbooks, monuments and artifacts for the posterity.
“We have been working hand-in-hand with the traditional rulers as custodians of cultures and traditions.
“We will partner with them as we intensify enlightenment campaign against demolition of monuments and selling of artifacts.
“If you want to get correct history, go to the museum.
“Others hardly keep history but museums keep history for posterity; we have gallery stock with textbooks about cultures as well as artifacts,” she said.
Kefas said the establishment would not relent in the discharge of its constitutional responsibilities, adding that the future of traditions and cultures lied with museums.
She commended the state government, particularly the Ministry of Information and Culture for creating enabling environment for her office to operate.
The curator she,however called on the new administration in the state to give the museum a befitting place to keep the artifacts.
The curator said she was determined to make the National Museum, Lafia, a hub in line with the 2019 International Museum Day/ Monument celebration with the theme: “Museum as cultural hubs, the future of tradition.”
“We used the recently celebrated event to call on the good people of Nasarawa to bring their artifacts for safe keeping in the museum instead of selling them.
” We can make Lafia National Museum a cultural hub.”(