By Cecilia Odey
Abuja – The Association of Indigenous Arts and Crafts Makers in Abuja says art works bought by foreigners are seized at airports across the country.
The association’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Kennedy Eguakun, made raised this alarm in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Abuja on Wednesday.
Eguakun said it was regrettable that when foreigners visited the village and bought art works to take to their countries, such works were seized from them at airports.
He said the seizure/confiscation of the art works was carried out by government officials manning security posts at the airports.
“In countries like Kenya, Zimbabwe and others, foreigners buy art works and are appreciated at the airports for buying them.
“But in Nigeria, it is a different story; such works are usually seized by customs and immigration officials at the various check posts in the airports.
“This has affected our sales negatively because foreigners are now afraid to buy our art works with the intention of taking it to their countries’’, Eguakun said.
Eguakun called on the Federal Government to discourage such act as artistes in the country were working round the clock to see that Nigerian art works were appreciated by the whole world.
He maintained that if their works were allowed to be taken by foreigners to their country, it would create a market for them as they were not opportune to travel out for exhibitions.
“When we put up application to travel for exhibition, our requests are not being granted immediately. It takes time before they respond.
“This has denied us the opportunity to participate in foreign exhibitions and upon that, our works bought by foreigners are being seized; this is sad’’, he said.