President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, received Professor Ademola Adenle, the Nigerian scholar and sustainability expert who recently made global history as the inaugural recipient of the M.S. Swaminathan Award for Food and Peace, an honour widely likened to a “mini Nobel Peace Prize.”

In a warm reception at the State House, Abuja, President Tinubu congratulated Professor Adenle for bringing renewed international visibility to Nigeria’s scientific community.

He praised the scholar’s pioneering work across agricultural innovation policy, biosciences, renewable energy and public health, focused on sustainable solutions for rural and marginalised populations in Africa and beyond.

The President described the recognition as timely, coming at a period when Nigeria is deepening reforms to strengthen food systems, improve yields and pursue equitable climate-resilient growth.

He commended Adenle for “demonstrating the power of knowledge and service” and for embodying the country’s aspirations to lead scientific breakthroughs on the continent.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, attended the meeting.

Professor Adenle received the award on August 7, 2025, at the M.S. Swaminathan Centenary International Conference in New Delhi, India, where it was presented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The prize, instituted by The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) in memory of the late Professor M.S. Swaminathan, revered as the “Father of India’s Green Revolution”, celebrates exceptional innovation advancing food security, sustainable agriculture and peace building across the developing world.

As the first-ever laureate, Adenle joins an exclusive circle of global scientists whose work bridges science, community empowerment and equitable food systems.

A Senior Special Adviser on Agricultural Innovation at Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Adenle was honoured for his contributions to climate justice, food sustainability and the empowerment of vulnerable communities.

During his visit to the State House, he told President Tinubu he would soon launch the Women in Biosciences Initiative, a programme designed to boost rural agricultural productivity through skills training, entrepreneurship and innovation.

The initiative will also tackle malnutrition and waterborne diseases, while expanding access to solar-powered renewable energy to reduce energy poverty.

The programme, to be implemented in collaboration with the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation across Africa and Asia, pays homage to Swaminathan’s lifelong pursuit of science driven by social equity.

At the award ceremony in New Delhi, Prime Minister Modi hailed Professor Adenle as “a beacon of hope” whose work responds to some of humanity’s greatest challenges.

His recognition underscores not only Adenle’s rising global profile but also the growing relevance of African-led scientific innovation.

President Tinubu lauded the professor’s dedication, expressing confidence that his ongoing work would accelerate national efforts to transform agriculture, strengthen food supply chains and elevate Nigeria’s role in global scientific solutions.