Nigeria’s Natural History Museum Holds Rare Collection of West African Artifacts

Skulls of mammals are seen on display at the A.G Leventis Museum of Natural History at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun, Nigeria July 7, 2022. (Reuters)

In southwest Nigeria, West Africa's only natural history museum serves as a world class facility for conservation of natural resources.

Built in 1973 as part of the zoology department at Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria's Natural History Museum was left abandoned for over 30 years before it was renovated and reopened in 2011.

Fashioned after the British Museum and the Smithsonian, it has thousands of specimens including plants, archaeological artifacts and animal skins and skulls from around Nigeria.