ABUJA — The Federal Government has inaugurated a 12-member National Laureate Committee to oversee a research awards scheme worth about ₦365 million aimed at recognising outstanding students in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, inaugurated the committee on Monday at the Digital Resource Centre of the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, in Abuja.
The committee is mandated to administer the National Laureate Programme, which will reward exceptional undergraduate, master’s and doctoral research, with a strong emphasis on commercialisation and innovation.
Speaking at the inauguration, Alausa said the initiative was designed to transform how Nigeria recognises academic excellence. “It will place scholarly achievement, scientific discovery and innovation alongside other nationally celebrated accomplishments,” he said.
“The future prosperity of nations will increasingly depend on their ability to convert knowledge into economic value,” the minister added.
He stressed that Nigeria must begin to celebrate intellectual achievements to build a globally competitive knowledge economy, noting that the programme was also conceived in response to the growing influence of the social media “attention economy” and the need to encourage creativity and innovation among young Nigerians.
President of the Nigerian Academy of Science, Prof. Abubakar Sambo, OON, will chair the committee.
Other members include Prof. Solomon Nwhator of Obafemi Awolowo University; Prof. Tolulope Ariyomo of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti; Prof. Francis F. Uba of the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo; Dr. Babangida Albaba of the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE; Dr. Salihu Girei of TETFund; Prof. Carol Arinze-Umobi of Nnamdi Azikiwe University; Dr. Obianuju Anigbogu of the Federal Ministry of Education; Mr. Francis Egbokare of the Nigerian Academy of Letters; Dr. Ezinne Orisakwe of the National Universities Commission, NUC; and Dr. Pius Ekireghwo of the National Commission for Colleges of Education, NCCE.
Mr. Richard Falaye of the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank, NERD, will serve as secretary.
The maiden edition of the National Laureate Awards is scheduled for November 2026. Award categories include Undergraduate Dissertation, Master’s Thesis, PhD Thesis, and six Excellence Awards covering Medicine, Engineering, Agriculture, Law, Arts and Social Sciences, as well as Teaching Innovation.
The overall undergraduate winner will receive ₦35 million, while the best master’s and PhD candidates will receive ₦50 million and ₦100 million, respectively. Six Excellence Awards valued at ₦30 million each will also be presented.
The government also announced the Dr. Stella Adadevoh Excellence Award in Medicine and Medical Innovation, in honour of the late physician who played a pivotal role in Nigeria’s successful response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak.
Alausa urged the committee to finalise the programme’s eligibility criteria and evaluation framework promptly to ensure the awards hold as scheduled in November. He also commended the Chairman of NERD, Engr. Olatunji Ariyomo, for his contributions to the initiative.
Responding on behalf of the committee, Prof. Sambo described the programme as a major milestone in Nigeria’s education policy, assuring that the selection process would be transparent, merit-based and fair. He pledged that all eligible students, regardless of their institution or location, would have an equal opportunity to compete for the awards.