Benin National Congress

The founding members of the Benin National Congress conceived of a project that could widen our scope of appreciation of hard work and excellent contributions to humanity beyond the traditional manner of honor usually performed by Traditional rulers in our rural settings. It was reasoned that until patriots are singled out among their peers and honored for their diligent service to mankind, most people could hardly seek to be patriotic. Like most pholosophers say – theories or historical remarks or conceptualizations are usually influenced by the contemporary developments within a given place, the founding members were overwhelmingly worried that while Edo people held enviable positions within the political and economic space at Home and Abroad, there was little or nothing to show vis-a-vis the decaying infrastructures and abysmal standard of living, no thanks to the gross under representation of our people by the "elected representatives". The founding members then agreed that an Award that would be tied to the Congress as part of its cultural property should be conceptualized. At the end, Benin National Merit Award was carefully chosen. It is considered very dear to the congress that it wish every deserving personalities across the globe irrespective of tribe or place of origin will be honored with it.



The objective of the annual award include:
1. To serve as a social platform to evaluate the contributions of concerned people to the growth and development of Benin kingdom and humanity.
2. To serve as a reference point to the appreciation of the awardees for their hard work, goodwill and integrity.
3. To serve as a platform for cultural re-awakening of cherished values and normes.
4. To serve the purpose of stimulation and motivation to the young and old who are on the path of patriotic and diligent service to mankind.


The annual program holds every last Saturday of the year or three days before the New Year in case the New Year day falls on a Saturday.