In what education stakeholders described as one of Nigeria’s most ambitious attempts to reposition scholarship, innovation and research as national priorities, the Federal Government on Monday, inaugurated the Tertiary Institutions National Laureate Committee.

The Committee will set in motion a new annual award programme that will reward outstanding undergraduate, master’s and doctoral research with prizes valued at approximately N365 million.

The Committee was inaugurated by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, at the Digital Resource Centre, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).

The committee has the mandate of overseeing the implementation of the National Laureate Programme, a flagship initiative designed to elevate academic excellence to the highest level of national recognition.

It will also promote research commercialisation and innovation across Nigeria’s accredited post-secondary and tertiary institutions.

Speaking at the inauguration exercise, Dr Alausa said the programme represented a deliberate effort by the Federal Government to reshape the country’s reward system.

According to him, it will place scholarly achievement, scientific discovery and innovation alongside other nationally celebrated accomplishments.

The Minister add that the initiative is expected to inspire a new generation of young Nigerians to pursue research capable of solving real-world problems, create new industries and strengthens the nation’s global competitiveness.

He said: “The future prosperity of nations will increasingly depend on their ability to convert knowledge into economic value.”

He held that Nigeria must deliberately celebrate intellectual achievement if it hopes to build a globally competitive knowledge economy.

Alausa stressed that in an era increasingly dominated by the social media-driven “attention economy”, the Federal Government considered it necessary to establish a national platform. The platform will reward creativity, scholarship, invention and commercially valuable research, particularly among young people.

The newly inaugurated Committee comprises the President, Nigerian Academy of Science, Professor Abubakar Sambo, who will be serving in the capacity of a chairman.

Others are, Professor Solomon Nwhator of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; Professor (Mrs) Tolulope Ariyomo of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti; Professor Francis F. Uba of the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo; Dr Babangida Abubakar Albaba, representing the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and Dr Salihu Bakari Girei representing the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

Others are, Professor (Mrs) Carol Arinze-Umobi of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka; Dr (Mrs) Obianuju Anigbogu, representing Federal Ministry of Education; Mr Francis Egbokare, representing Nigerian Academy of Letters; Dr Ezinne Orisakwe, representing the National Universities Commission (NUC) and Dr Pius O. Ekireghwo, representing the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).

Also, the Secretary, Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD), Mr Richard Falaye, will serve as Secretary to the Committee.

The inaugural National Laureate Awards are scheduled for November 2026. The awards will recognise the country’s finest Undergraduate Dissertations, Master’s Theses and Doctoral (PhD) Theses, alongside six thematic Excellence Awards.

The thematic categories cover Medicine and Health Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Agriculture, Law, Arts and Social Sciences as well as Teaching Innovation.

Under the approved prize structure, the winner of the Undergraduate Dissertation category will receive N35 million while the best Master’s Thesis will attract N50 million. The overall winner in the Doctoral (PhD) category will receive N100 million.

In addition, six National Laureate Excellence Awards, each valued at N30 million, shall be presented annually.

This brings the programme’s total prize pool to approximately N365 million annually.

The Minister also announced the establishment of the Dr Stella Adadevoh Excellence Award in Medicine and Medical Innovation. The award, one of the programme’s special awards, honours the late physician whose leadership during the 2014 Ebola outbreak helped prevent a national public health catastrophe.

He further directed the Committee to conclude its work on eligibility requirements, evaluation procedures and institutional engagement in good time to ensure successful hosting of the inaugural awards in November.

Dr Alausa also used the occasion to commend Engr Olatunji Ariyomo, Chairman of NERD, for his innovative contributions towards transformative interventions within Nigeria’s education sector.

Responding on behalf of the Committee, its Chairman, Emeritus Professor Abubakar Sambo, described the initiative as a historic turning point in the nation’s education policy. He praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for placing academic excellence and research at the centre of national development.

Professor Sambo pledged that the Committee will uphold the highest standards of transparency, fairness and merit throughout the selection process.

He commended Dr Alausa for leading a national revolution to reward and promote innovation and its commercialisation, and
assured him that every eligible student, irrespective of institution or geographical location, will have an equal opportunity to attain National Laureate status.

According to him, the process would be insulated from institutional favouritism and other extraneous considerations.
He also  expressed optimism that the National Laureate Programme could become one of the most consequential reforms in Nigeria’s tertiary education landscape if successfully implemented.

Beyond its substantial prize fund, the committee argued that the initiative signals a shift in national priorities, from prioritizing social media celebrity culture to deliberately recognising ideas, discoveries and innovations capable of driving economic transformation.

The programme is expected to deepen collaboration between universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, industry and government as well as in create stronger incentives for commercially viable research and position Nigeria to compete more effectively within the global knowledge economy.