The federal government has unveiled a N365 million annual National Laureate Programme to reward outstanding academic excellence, research and innovation, inaugurating a committee to oversee the initiative as part of efforts to reposition scholarship and research commercialisation at the heart of Nigeria’s development agenda.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, inaugurated the Tertiary Institutions National Laureate Committee in Abuja on Tuesday, describing the programme as a strategic intervention designed to give academic excellence the same national recognition accorded to achievements in other sectors.
According to a statement by the committee’s spokesperson, Mr. Ita Ekpenyong, the initiative is intended to inspire a new generation of researchers, innovators, inventors and problem-solvers whose work will contribute directly to national development and strengthen Nigeria’s economic competitiveness.
Alausa said the National Laureate Programme would transform the country’s reward system by recognising exceptional scholarship while encouraging research that addresses national challenges and promotes innovation.
He directed the newly inaugurated committee to develop transparent eligibility criteria, communicate the approved guidelines to tertiary institutions nationwide and ensure all preparatory work is completed ahead of the inaugural National Laureate Awards Ceremony scheduled for November 2026.
The committee is chaired by the President of the Nigerian Academy of Science, Emeritus Prof. Abubakar Sambo. Other members include Prof. Solomon Nwhator of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; Prof. (Mrs.) Tolulope Ariyomo of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti; Prof. Francis F. Uba of the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo; Dr. Babangida Abubakar Albaba representing the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE); Dr. Salihu Bakari Girei representing TETFund; Prof. (Mrs.) Carol Arinze-Umobi of Nnamdi Azikiwe University; Dr. (Mrs.) Obianuju Anigbogu representing the Federal Ministry of Education; Mr. Francis Egbokare representing the Nigerian Academy of Letters; Dr. Ezinne Orisakwe representing the National Universities Commission (NUC); Dr. Pius O. Ekireghwo representing the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE); while Mr. Richard Falaye, Secretary of the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD), serves as Secretary to the committee.
Ekpenyong said the committee is responsible for developing transparent award criteria aligned with international best practices, overseeing independent adjudication processes, managing the annual prize fund, engaging stakeholders across the tertiary education ecosystem and promoting outstanding Nigerian research.
He added that the committee has also been mandated to safeguard the integrity, credibility and prestige of the National Laureate Programme.
The programme provides an annual prize pool of approximately N365 million, including N35 million for the best undergraduate dissertation, N50 million for the best Master’s thesis and N100 million for the best Doctoral (PhD) thesis.
It also features six National Laureate Excellence Awards valued at N30 million each in Medicine and Health Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Agriculture, Law, Arts and Social Sciences, and Teaching Innovation, bringing the total value of the special awards to N180 million annually.
Alausa announced the establishment of the Dr. Stella Adadevoh Excellence Award in Medicine and Medical Innovation, named in honour of the late physician whose decisive intervention helped prevent the spread of the Ebola virus in Nigeria in 2014.
He noted that other Excellence Awards may, in exceptional circumstances, be named after distinguished Nigerians whose lives exemplified extraordinary service to the nation.
The minister also commended Chairman of the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD), Engr. Tunji Ariyomo, for supporting impactful interventions in Nigeria’s education sector.
Responding on behalf of the committee, its chairman, Emeritus Prof. Abubakar Sambo, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for prioritising academic excellence, research and innovation, as well as Alausa’s efforts to promote innovation and research commercialisation.
Sambo assured the minister that the committee would conduct a transparent, merit-based and nationally inclusive selection process insulated from institutional favouritism, ensuring that every deserving student across Nigeria’s accredited post-secondary and tertiary institutions has an equal opportunity to attain National Laureate status.
Alausa said that at a time when public attention is increasingly dominated by social media influencers, the National Laureate Programme represents a deliberate investment in Nigeria’s intellectual capital and demonstrates the federal government’s renewed commitment to celebrating knowledge, creativity, innovation and research-driven development.
