Memorial and Commissioning of Odinani Museum to his Memory
The Odinani museum Nri houses some of the carefully selected artifacts of cultural importance, that tells the story of the Nri people and the Igbo nation. It was first built in 1972 financed by Prince Reuben Nwofor Tabansi, who himself loved his cultural heritage and sort to safeguard the cultural arts and relics of the past which tells the story of his people so that the future generations can understand and build on the knowledge of who they are. He believed that Our culture is our heritage and our pride. The museum showcases our people’s story, way of life, and our journey so far. The museum also showcases the depth of our culture and the craftsmanship of the Igbo nation long before the coming of the British. The museum houses some intricate works of various metal objects, fine arts of wooden masks, Ivory clay pots, etc that showed the Igbo from 100’s of years before the coming of the Europeans were self-sufficient. They had a well-structured society with various levels of responsibilities and authorities. They had a democratic system far superior to what is obtainable in today’s world. Much gratitude is owed to both to Professor Kenneth Dike the first indigenous vice-chancellor of the University of Ibadan, other past and present Vice-chancellors of the University of Ibadan, past and present Directors and Secretaries of the African Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, Professor Thurstan Shaw archeologist (UK), Professor Robert G Armstrong (UK) , my own dearest mentor Professor Michael Angulu Onwaejeogwu who was the brain behind the establishment of the Odinani museum and also our gratitude goes to Nri progress union.
The museum however after awhile became derelict due to negligence due to funds. However, in 2017 Prince, Engineer Charles Tabansi demolished and rebuilt the museum and financed the exhibition single-handedly with the hope that the current generation will benefit from it with the current renewed interest of this generation in their history and cultural pride. On December 28th, 2018 the Odinani museum which also housed the Agbadani village hall was dedicated to the memory of our father Prince Reuben Nwofor Tabansi and Professor Michael Agulu Onwuejeogwu.
