Benin History & Research Centre in Diaspora

  Edo Elders Award We have incorporated Edo Elders Award into the Edo Language Day program with a maximum of six nominees annually. The award program is geared towards recognizing and honouring Edo Elders, who have contributed immensely to the development of the Arts, Culture and Civilization of the Great Benin Kingdom. As part of this year’s program, the Edo Lanugauge Day Organizing Committee has selected six Edo Elders and one posthumous award recipient for the 2023 Edo Language Day Worldwide program. These preeminent Edo Elders would attend the award ceremony at the Edo Language Day program in Toronto on August 12th. The nominated Elders in Nigeria will receive the award in Benin City on August 12th. Edo Elders Award

Dr. Harris Osa. Enabulele bought 120 books to support Edo Language Day Worldwide! I discounted 5000 books in a donation to this year's Edo Language Day Worldwide! For each book sold, N1000 will be donated to Edo Language Day Worldwide. I encourage everyone to please support Edo Language Day program by purchasing or donating this book to your Alma-Mater (the secondary, college, or university you attended in Nigeria or abroad). I discounted the book for only N5000 for a copy in Nigeria. Wa hia ru ese. Thank you all! --Nekpen Obasogie

The former governor of Edo State, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, purchased 200 books to support Edo Language Day Worldwide! I discounted 5000 books in a donation to this year's Edo Language Day Worldwide! I encourage everyone to please support Edo Language Day program by purchasing or donating this book to your Alma-Mater (the secondary, college, or university you attended in Nigeria or abroad). I discounted the book for only N5000 for a copy in Nigeria. Wa hia ru ese. Thank you all! --Nekpen Obasogie

Former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney has died at the age of 84. Mulroney is survived by his wife, Mila, and four children. Among them are Caroline Mulroney, Ontario’s transport and francophone affairs minister, and Ben Mulroney, a well-known TV personality. Mulroney’s daughter Caroline announced his death in a social media post on X, saying, “The country’s 18th prime minister died peacefully and surrounded by family.” According to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, " He will have a state funeral." Born in Baie-Comeau, QC., in 1939, Mulroney would go on to build a political career marked by his leadership of the at-times fractious coalition of Western conservatives, Red Tories and Quebec nationalists that made up the old centrist Progressive Conservative Party, and a legacy of securing the original NAFTA trade deal with the U.S. and Mexico as well as passing the goods and service tax into law. He was also commended for his strong opposition to apartheid in South Africa, h...

As a female custodian of Benin history and culture in diaspora (the initiator of Edo Language Day Worldwide), I assert that the Benin Kingdom is a citadel of culture due to its historical preeminence. The role Benin played in shaping the trajectory of the world in pre and post-colonial eras can never be overemphasized in Black History Month in North America. This consciousness inspired me to officiate February 8th to 15th annually as Benin History Week (BHW) under the Nigerian Canadian Multicultural Centre in Toronto.  The initiation of Benin History Week coincides with the yearly Black History Month in Canada and the United States. Thus, Benin History Week will be celebrated yearly during Black History Month in North America. I encourage all Indigenes of Edo state to join me and the Organizing Committee of Edo Language Day to celebrate the history and colorful cultural heritage of the Benin kingdom, which has survived colonial subjugation for over a century. The affluent Benin cul...

I joined my fellow students to attend the 220th anniversary of Haiti's independence held at OISE, University of Toronto, yesterday, Feb 23, 2024. The celebration was a part of Black History Month and a period dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the impact of Black people worldwide. It was an insightful event that reminded us of the history of the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism in Africa.  - Nekpen Obasogie

The former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olumide Akpata has clinched the Labour Party (LP) ticket for the September 2024 governorship election in Edo State.  Akpata scored 316 votes to win the exercise held in Benin City, the Edo State capital, on Friday.  The Deputy Governor of Abia State Ikechukwu Emeta declared Akpata as the winner of the election.  “I hereby declare as follows: Mr Olumide Osaigbovo Akpata, having scored the highest number of votes and certified the provisions of the constitution of the party, is hereby declared the winner and the gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party for the Edo State governorship election 2024,” Emeta who is also the chief returning officer for the election said.