The Federal Government has inaugurated the Tertiary Institutions National Laureate Committee and unveiled a ₦365 million annual prize fund to recognise Nigeria’s most outstanding undergraduate, master’s and doctoral research, in a move aimed at placing scholarship, innovation and research commercialisation at the centre of national development.
The committee was inaugurated on Monday by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, at the Digital Resource Centre of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) in Abuja.
It will oversee the National Laureate Programme, a flagship initiative designed to give academic excellence the same national recognition enjoyed by achievements in sports, arts and public service, while promoting the commercialisation of research into products, patents and enterprises.
Speaking at the inauguration, Alausa said the programme represents a deliberate shift in how Nigeria recognises and rewards talent.
“We are recalibrating our national reward system to place scholarly achievement, scientific discovery and innovation alongside every other accomplishment we celebrate,” he said.
According to the minister, the initiative is intended to inspire young Nigerians to pursue research that addresses real-life challenges, creates industries and strengthens the country’s position in the global knowledge economy.
He stressed that Nigeria’s future prosperity depends on its ability to convert knowledge into economic value, adding that government must encourage scholarship and innovation at a time when the social media-driven attention economy dominates public recognition.
The 12-member committee, chaired by Professor Abubakar Sambo, President of the Nigerian Academy of Science, has been mandated to develop the eligibility criteria, evaluation process and institutional framework ahead of the maiden awards.
The inaugural National Laureate Awards will be held in November 2026, with prizes across three academic categories:
Undergraduate Dissertation – ₦35 million
Master’s Thesis – ₦50 million
Doctoral (PhD) Thesis – ₦100 million
In addition, six National Laureate Excellence Awards, worth ₦30 million each, will recognise outstanding research in Medicine and Health Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Agriculture, Law, Arts and Social Sciences, and Teaching Innovation.
The annual prize pool totals approximately ₦365 million.
The minister also announced the Dr. Stella Adadevoh Excellence Award in Medicine and Medical Innovation, created in honour of the late physician whose actions during the 2014 Ebola outbreak helped prevent a national health emergency.
He directed the committee to complete all preparatory work in time for a credible inaugural ceremony in November and commended Engr. Olatunji Ariyomo, Chairman of the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD), for championing innovation in the education sector.
Responding on behalf of the committee, Professor Sambo described the initiative as a landmark moment in Nigeria’s education policy and pledged that the selection process would be transparent, fair and merit-based.
He assured that every eligible student, regardless of institution or location, would have an equal opportunity to attain National Laureate status without institutional bias or external influence.
Education experts say the programme has the potential to reshape Nigeria’s knowledge economy by rewarding academic excellence, encouraging innovation and strengthening collaboration between universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, industry and government.
If sustained, they believe the National Laureate Awards could help retain talent, promote commercially viable research and position Nigeria as a stronger player in the global knowledge economy.
