NWAFOR ORIZU COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

NSUGBE

IN AFFLIATION WITH UNIVERSITY OF

NIGERIA NSUKKA
NAME: UGWU JOSEPH NNANNA
REG. NO.: 2015/403004
DEPT: HISTORY AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
LEVEL: 1/4
COURSE CODE: ARCHY 103
COURSE TITLE: INTRODUCTION TO MUSEUM
LECTURER: MRS NGOZI AZIEKWE
DATE: 11TH JULY, 2016

A REPORT SUBMITTED BY UGWU JOSEPH IN

RESPECT TO THE EXCURSION TO NATIONAL
MUSEUM OF UNITY, ENUGU STATE IN
REFERENCE TO THE COURSE INTRODUCTION
TO MUSEUM, ARCHY 103.
 THE REPORT OF EXCURSION AT NATIONAL MUSEUM OF UNITY,
ENUGU STATE ON 30TH OF JUNE 2016.
The Excursion to the national museum of unity, Enugu state was led by Mrs. N. Aziekwe
th
on 30 of june 2016 been Thursday. All the year one students and other levels of history and
international studies department of Nwafor Orizu College of Education Nsugbe assembled at
the 2nd gate were we said that everyone should come out for our departure to the National
museum of unity, Enugu state. And we all summon there at 8;00am. I was the chief organizer
for the excursion and I arrange for two buses that took us to Enugu and our lecturer
Mrs.N.Aziekwe took a roll call before entering the bus.

We departed from the college by 9:20 from the college 2 nd gate and I was in the 2nd bus
were our lecturer was and also the total number of persons that embark on the excursion was
thirty six students plus our lecturer that make us thirty-seven. Prayer was said in the bus by
Ezugwu Innocessia Chekwube. On our way along 3-3 junction we stopped at blessed omemm
oil & gas LTD to purchase petroleum of 30 liters at the cost of #5,000. 0n our way going we
encounter several check point and they were police men, Army and federal road safety
commission. After the long journey we later arrived at the national museum of unity Enugu
state at 12:05 noon .we paid the sum of #4,000 for the gate fee before we enter inside the
museum.

Before we entered the museum, a curator representative addressed us and he ask us so

many question which include things like the definition of museum,in which which Obinali
Vitalian and Ezugwu chekwube Innocessia answered the question. He also gave us the rules
that guilds the national museum unity which is as follows.

1.No touching of objects

2.No eating inside the museum.

3.switching off of phones or in silence mode.

4.No photo shots.

He also tell us the definition of museums

Museum is an institution that is open to the public which is charge with the responsibility of
collecting, preserving and exhibiting those cultural objects for the purpose of entertainment,
research and education

Types of museum ;
 1; Earthnographic museum

2;war museum

3;private museum

On getting to the museum proper,I saw lots of artifact such as;

1,the pictures of the past leaders and year of office,we were shown how the coal was mined
and transported to its usage point and how the white man discovered coal in Enugu. i was said
that coal was discovered by a white man called Custan Sawn in the year 1908 on his way
passing a site at Ngwo,one of the man that was carrying him mistakenly steped on a hard
blackish material which obstructed them,they tried to continue their journey but the white
man discovered that it was coal.he went home and later tired to extract the minerals but do not
know how to go about it because the people were afraid of them being sold into slavery and
the white man knows he cant do it all by himself.so he sought an advice an advice from an
advice from chief onyema,then different state were headed by chief and the two chief in the
old Anambra then were chief onyema from the two Eke,and chief chukwuma from Nkanu.

Chief onyema advised him to go the prison at Akwa and use the prisoner there as
miners ,and he did as he was advised, as others saw how the prisoners were progressing and
earned their salaries at the end of every month, they got interested and joined the mining
which helped boom the coal minning.we were shown different cultural materials of different
communities which include pottery vessel of igbaukwu dating 9 th century, roped pot which was
taken but the Europeans but was later brought back to Nigeria at Lagos museum in 2006,.the
Aparum which was used by the yourba worries which made them invisible when ever it is worn
by the leader during battle.we were also own the the pictures of typical Onitsha women OUT
ODU wearing their odu which was carved out from elephants trunks, typical ozo with his outfit
and the seat which he uses known as okachi and we were told that the seat is meant to be
carried by a virgin girl and the seat must not be carried by defiled girl who has ever had sex in
her life ,when ever a girl tries to lie, and cried that seat will slump and die to show the the
sacredness of the ozo and when taking his bath a young boy will be heating the ekwe until he
finishes before he will stop.

We were shown the Nja ukwu which was worn by igbo maidens on their leg and ankles as
signs of beautification .we saw different masquerades like ijele that comes out only but once in
a year for big occasion and mmuonwu Avia etc.These masquerade serves as a medium of
controlling crimes in the communities and villages, take for instance when okafor goes at night
to steal some other persons yam, the persons duty is to go and report him to the king or
masquerade, which will go round the village calling on okafor to stop stealing .

After going around the museum, we were given the chance to ask question where
somebody like Onwuora Chinedu asked how the museum preserves their artifacts. and the
question was answered by the educationist who took us around the museum ,she said that the
museum has those who are charged with the responsibility of preserving artifact that are
brought in by the collectors, that those who preserve them are called conservators. They make
use of chemicals for the preservation and preserve materials without without change. she also
stated that before collections are made, it should be of historical importance and when
materials are brought first into the museum it is being taken to the documentation department
for them to document it very well.

After viewing around the museum, we had another lecture at exactly 2;04pm by Mr.
John Adiku. He was the chief curator of the national museum of unity, Enugu state, he lectured
us on museum based on the following; Definition of museum [ICOM], Exhibition, Method of
collection, Storage, preservation of ancient object and so many relevant topics.et.

After the lecture, we took a group photograph together with the chief curator and the
workers. We had our lunch which is moi-moi and malt that was shared by our lecturer Mrs. N.
Aziekwe and I. we left the National Museum of Unity, Enugu state by 4pm arrived at the college
around 6;35pm.