By Rukevwe Odeh

The Federal Government has inaugurated the Tertiary Institutions National Laureate Committee as part of a new initiative designed to recognise exceptional academic research and innovation in Nigeria’s higher education sector.

Speaking during the committee’s inauguration in Abuja, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said the National Laureate Programme is intended to promote academic excellence by rewarding outstanding research that contributes to national development.

According to the minister, the programme seeks to elevate scholarly achievements to the same level of national recognition enjoyed by excellence in other fields. He noted that encouraging quality research and innovation would help stimulate economic growth and position Nigeria as a knowledge-driven economy.

Alausa tasked the newly inaugurated committee with establishing transparent eligibility and selection guidelines, engaging tertiary institutions nationwide, and ensuring the successful organisation of the first National Laureate Awards, scheduled for November 2026.

The committee is chaired by Emeritus Professor Abubakar Sambo, President of the Nigerian Academy of Science. Other members were drawn from universities, regulatory agencies, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), the National Universities Commission (NUC), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), and other education stakeholders.

Among its responsibilities are designing award criteria that reflect international best practices, supervising an independent evaluation process, managing the annual prize fund, consulting relevant stakeholders, and safeguarding the credibility of the awards.

The National Laureate Programme will honour the country’s best undergraduate dissertations, master’s theses, and doctoral research projects. It will also recognise excellence across six thematic areas: Medicine and Health Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Agriculture, Law, Arts and Social Sciences, and Teaching Innovation.

Under the approved reward structure, winners of the undergraduate dissertation category will receive ₦35 million, while the best master’s thesis will attract ₦50 million. The top doctoral research project will earn ₦100 million. Six additional Excellence Awards, each valued at ₦30 million, will bring the programme’s total annual prize value to approximately ₦365 million.

The minister also unveiled the Dr. Stella Adadevoh Excellence Award in Medicine and Medical Innovation to honour the late physician whose efforts were instrumental in containing the Ebola outbreak in Nigeria in 2014.

Responding on behalf of the committee, Professor Sambo praised the Federal Government for prioritising research and academic excellence. He assured Nigerians that the selection process would be transparent, merit-based, inclusive, and free from institutional bias.

The government expressed confidence that the initiative would strengthen research commercialisation, inspire innovation among students and scholars, and encourage the development of practical solutions capable of addressing national challenges and supporting sustainable development.