Fed Govt Introduces N20m National Laureate Prize For Best Nigerian Theses

The federal government has introduced a National Laureate Prize with a top reward of N20 million for the best academic theses produced by Nigerian students.

The minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, announced the initiative yesterday during the 2026 National Capacity Building Programme on the Implementation and Enforcement of the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD) Policy.

The programme was organised under the theme  “Strengthening Institutional Compliance and Academic Records Integrity.”

Alausa said the new prize would recognise outstanding undergraduate, master’s and doctoral theses from Nigerian tertiary institutions, with awards ranging from N5 million to N20 million.

He disclosed that the maiden edition of the awards would be held in November 2026.

The minister explained that the initiative was part of the government’s broader efforts to promote academic excellence while strengthening the integrity of Nigeria’s education records through the NERD platform.

“To further promote academic excellence, I have approved the establishment of the NERD Annual National Laureate Prize and Awards Programme, which will reward outstanding Undergraduate, Master’s, and Doctoral theses with prizes ranging from N5 million to 20 million.

“The maiden edition will hold in November 2026,” he said.

The minister noted that NERD represents a strategic national infrastructure designed to secure, standardise, digitise and authenticate academic records across post-secondary and tertiary institutions in the country.

“With the approval of the Federal Executive Council, NERD was established as the digitisation vehicle of Nigeria’s education sector,” he said.

Alausa revealed that within four months of enforcement, the platform has already preserved nearly 100,000 digital student submissions that might otherwise have been lost.

He added that more than 350 universities, polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education have been onboarded for real-time credential verification, while over 133,000 students and more than 6,800 lecturers have enrolled on the platform.

The minister further disclosed that the initiative has also created economic opportunities through partnerships with Nigerian digital entrepreneurs.

According to him, NERD has established 1,060 digital service centres across the country, generating more than 3,000 direct jobs within four months.

Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank, Engr Olatunji Ariyomo, emphasised the critical role of data in governance and national development.

He said data remains the lifeblood of effective governance because it enables governments to understand challenges, design solutions and evaluate progress.

Ariyomo noted that countries that have preserved their educational and historical data over centuries have been able to build strong knowledge systems and national development strategies.

According to him, the NERD initiative places Nigeria firmly on the path of building a transparent, credible and globally respected academic record system.

He urged institutions, regulators and ICT leaders across the education sector to support the implementation of the platform, noting that its success depends on collective commitment.