The Nigerian Government has introduced a N365 million annual National Laureate Prize to honour exceptional academic research, innovation and intellectual achievement across universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in Nigeria.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, unveiled the initiative in Abuja, describing it as part of efforts to transform tertiary institutions into centres of research, innovation, enterprise and national development rather than institutions focused mainly on awarding certificates.
Alausa said the prize would provide national recognition and financial rewards for students and researchers whose academic work could help address pressing national challenges or be developed into viable commercial ventures.
The award will recognise outstanding undergraduate dissertations with commercial potential, as well as exceptional master’s theses and doctoral research with clear industrial or developmental applications.
Special awards will also be presented in key areas, including Engineering and Technology, Medicine and Health Sciences, Arts and Social Sciences, Agriculture, Law and Teaching Innovation.
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The initiative is being implemented jointly by the Federal Ministry of Education and the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD) under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Alausa said the programme was designed not only to celebrate academic excellence but also to encourage students and researchers to view scholarship and innovation as opportunities for entrepreneurship, national recognition and economic advancement.
He said the prize would create a structured national platform for identifying research that could be commercialised or applied to solving major challenges facing the country.
The minister also announced the Dr Stella Adadevoh Prize for Medicine and Medical Innovation, established in memory of the late physician who played a significant role in Nigeria’s response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak.
Alausa stressed that the credibility of the awards would depend on a transparent and impartial selection process. He said entries would undergo competitive, merit-based assessment without political, institutional or personal interference.
He added that submissions would comply with the National Policy on the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank, helping to preserve, document and improve access to the country’s intellectual output.
According to the minister, the government’s broader objective is to create a tertiary education system where research can become enterprise, innovation can drive industry and intellectual capital can generate measurable economic value.
The National Laureate Prize will cover students and researchers across universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, giving them a national platform to showcase ideas capable of contributing to Nigeria’s development.
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Alausa also defended the cancellation of funding under the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA), saying the programme no longer provided sufficient value compared with the public resources committed to it.
He argued that Nigeria had developed substantial academic capacity in its universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, making it unnecessary in some cases to spend large sums sending students abroad to study programmes that are available locally.
The minister clarified that the government would not stop foreign countries from offering scholarships to Nigerian students, stressing that the policy was aimed at ensuring public funds are used more efficiently and directed towards programmes with greater benefits for Nigerians.
