Federal Govt Inaugurates National Laureate C’ttee To Reposition Academic Excellence

The Federal Government has formally inaugurated the Tertiary Institutions National Laureate Committee to reposition academic excellence, research, innovation and research commercialisation at the centre of Nigeria’s development agenda.

The Committee was inaugurated in Abuja on Tuesday by the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, CON.

The Minister described the National Laureate Programme as a strategic intervention aimed at transforming Nigeria’s reward system by recognising and celebrating scholarly excellence with the same national prominence accorded to achievements in other sectors.

According to a press statement by Mr Ita Ekpenyong, spokesperson for the Tertiary Institutions National Laureate Committee, the initiative seeks to inspire a new generation of young researchers, innovators, inventors and problem-solvers whose work will contribute directly to national development and economic competitiveness.

The Committee comprises Professor Abubakar Sambo, President of the Nigerian Academy of Science, as Chairman; Professor Solomon Nwhator of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; Professor (Mrs) Tolulope Ariyomo of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti; and Professor Francis F. Uba of the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo.

Other members are Dr Babangida Abubakar Albaba, representing the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE); Dr Salihu Bakari Girei, representing TETFund; Professor (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;”Among its principal responsibilities are the development of transparent award criteria aligned with international best practice, oversight of independent adjudication processes, stewardship of the annual prize fund, engagement with stakeholders across the tertiary education ecosystem, and the promotion and documentation of outstanding Nigerian research.

“The Committee has also been charged with safeguarding the integrity, credibility and prestige of the National Laureate Programme.”

The National Laureate Programme provides an annual prize pool of approximately N365 million, making it one of Africa’s most significant publicly supported academic recognition initiatives.

The awards will recognise outstanding undergraduate dissertations, Master’s theses, Doctoral (PhD) theses, and six thematic Excellence Awards in strategic fields, including Medicine and Health Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Agriculture, Law, Arts and Social Sciences, and Teaching Innovation.

He added that some Excellence Awards may, in exceptional circumstances, be named in honour of distinguished Nigerians whose lives exemplified extraordinary service to the nation.

The Minister also announced the naming of one such special prize, the Dr Stella Adadevoh Excellence Award in Medicine and Medical Innovation, in honour of an outstanding medical doctor whose team’s proactive intervention led to the successful prevention of the Ebola outbreak in Nigeria in 2014.

Alausa used the occasion to commend Engr Tunji Ariyomo, Chairman of NERD, for his innovative support towards impactful interventions in the nation’s education sector.

Alausa further directed the newly inaugurated Committee to communicate its approved criteria to all institutions and work diligently to ensure that it meets the timeline for the inaugural National Laureate Awards Ceremony, scheduled for November 2026, following the completion of the eligibility criteria, evaluation frameworks, institutional engagement and adjudication process.

Responding on behalf of the newly inaugurated Committee, its Chairman, Emeritus Prof. Abubakar Sambo commended the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for redirecting attention to academic excellence, research and innovation.
He also commended Dr Alausa for leading a national drive to reward and promote innovation and its commercialisation.

He assured the Minister that the Committee would remain committed to ensuring that the selection process is transparent, merit-based, nationally inclusive and insulated from institutional favouritism, so that every deserving student across Nigeria’s accredited post-secondary and tertiary institutions has an equal opportunity to attain National Laureate status.

The National Laureate Programme provides an annual prize pool of approximately N365 million, comprising N35 million for the best undergraduate dissertation, N50 million for the best Master’s thesis, and N100 million for the best Doctoral (PhD) thesis.

In addition, the programme features six Special National Laureate Excellence Awards, each valued at N30 million, across the thematic areas of Medicine and Health Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Law, Arts and Social Sciences, Agriculture, and Teaching Innovation, bringing the total value of the six special awards to N180 million annually.

In an age where the attention economy is focused on social media influencers, the Federal Government established the National Laureate Programme as a deliberate intervention, representing a decisive investment in Nigeria’s young intellectual capital and signalling a renewed national commitment to celebrating knowledge, innovation, creativity and research-driven development.