Abuja: The Federal Government has earmarked N365 million annually for the Tertiary Institution National Laureate Prize to recognise outstanding academic research, innovation, and intellectual excellence across the country’s tertiary education system. The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this while briefing newsmen on the initiative on Wednesday.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the prize is part of the federal government’s efforts to reposition education as a catalyst for national development. Dr. Alausa mentioned that he had earlier inaugurated the National Laureate Prize Committee and tasked it with providing the strategic direction, governance, and integrity required for the successful implementation of the program. The initiative aims to offer a structured national platform for identifying and rewarding exceptional academic research with significant potential for innovation, commercialization, industrial application, and national development.
“For many years, our national education and reward system has not sufficiently celebrated the remarkable work taking place in our universities and other tertiary institutions. Across the country, young Nigerians and academics are conducting research, developing solutions, creating new technologies, and generating ideas capable of addressing some of our most pressing developmental challenges,” Alausa stated.
The minister emphasized that young researchers and distinguished academics deserve recognition, support, and celebration for their contributions. The prize will cover outstanding undergraduate dissertations with strong commercial potential, exceptional master’s theses, and doctoral theses with clear industrial and developmental applications. Special prizes will be awarded in six thematic areas: engineering and technology, medicine and health sciences, arts and social sciences, agriculture, law, and teaching innovation.
Alausa also highlighted that some of the special prizes would honor distinguished Nigerians whose lives symbolized exceptional service, courage, and contribution to the nation. He cited the Dr. Stella Adadevoh Prize for Medicine and Medical Innovation as one such award, honoring the late physician’s courage and professional sacrifice during the 2014 Ebola outbreak. The initiative aims to demonstrate the transformative power of knowledge, professionalism, and service to humanity.
The credibility of the National Laureate Prize will depend fundamentally on the credibility of its selection process. Dr. Alausa assured that the process would be transparent, competitive, and insulated from political, institutional, or personal influence, with excellence being the determining factor. Participation and submission of academic reports and entries will adhere to the national policy of the Nigerian Education Repository and Databank (NERD) to strengthen the integrity, accessibility, and long-term preservation of academic works.
Describing the prize as more than an award program, Alausa said it is designed to change the aspirations of Nigerian students and researchers. “We want Nigerian students to understand that there is honor in scholarship, opportunity in innovation, and national recognition for intellectual excellence. We want our researchers to see a clear pathway from academic research to industrial application, enterprise, innovation, and national development,” he said.
The program is open to students of universities, polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of education, irrespective of whether the institutions are federal, state, or privately owned. It has been designed with sustainability in mind, with funding sourced from the Nigerian Education Repository Data Bank and the Federal Ministry of Education.
Speaking on the cancellation of funding under the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA), Alausa explained that the policy no longer provided value commensurate with the resources committed. As Nigeria has developed significant capacity in its institutions, it is deemed unnecessary to spend large sums of public funds sending students abroad to study programs available locally. However, foreign countries are still welcome to offer scholarships to Nigerian students, ensuring public funds are deployed more efficiently towards programs that provide greater benefits to Nigerians.
Prof. Sani Sambo, Chairman of the National Laureate Prize Committee, said the prizes would be organized under two broad categories within each of the six thematic areas. The first category, ‘best of the best,’ will receive the star prize, while other outstanding entries within each thematic area will receive thematic prizes. The government may expand the categories in the future if necessary, but the current focus on six areas ensures the program remains focused and manageable.
Tunji Ariyomo, CEO of NERD, noted that the program is open to tertiary institutions nationwide, including universities, polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of education, regardless of ownership. The role of lecturers and supervisors in ensuring the integrity of academic submissions is also recognized in the program.