Alausa Launches N365m National Laureate Programme to Reward Academic Excellence

Alausa Launches N365m National Laureate Programme to Reward Academic Excellence
Alausa said the initiative represents a deliberate effort by the Federal Government to reposition scholarship, scientific discovery and innovation as national priorities
Says every qualified student, regardless of institution or geographical location, would have an equal opportunity to emerge as a National Laureate

The Federal Government has launched a N365 million National Laureate Programme aimed at rewarding outstanding academic research and promoting innovation across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.

Contents

EDITOR’S PICK
FURTHER READING

Eko Hot Blog reports that the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, inaugurated the Tertiary Institutions National Laureate Committee on Monday at the Digital Resource Centre of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) in Abuja to oversee the implementation of the initiative.

EDITOR’S PICK

The programme is designed to recognise exceptional undergraduate dissertations, master’s theses and doctoral (PhD) research while encouraging innovation, research commercialisation and academic excellence in Nigeria’s higher institutions.

Speaking during the inauguration, Alausa said the initiative represents a deliberate effort by the Federal Government to reposition scholarship, scientific discovery and innovation as national priorities.

He said the programme would encourage young Nigerians to pursue research capable of solving real-life challenges, creating new industries and strengthening Nigeria’s global competitiveness.

“The future prosperity of nations will increasingly depend on their ability to convert knowledge into economic value,” the minister said, stressing that Nigeria must deliberately celebrate intellectual achievement to build a knowledge-driven economy.

According to him, the initiative also seeks to shift national attention from social media-driven popularity to rewarding creativity, innovation and commercially valuable research.

Under the prize structure, the best undergraduate dissertation will receive N35 million, while the winner of the master’s thesis category will earn N50 million. The overall winner in the doctoral (PhD) thesis category will receive N100 million.

The programme will also present 6 National Laureate Excellence Awards, each valued at N30 million, covering Medicine and Health Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Agriculture, Law, Arts and Social Sciences, and Teaching Innovation.

Alausa further announced the establishment of the Dr. Stella Adadevoh Excellence Award in Medicine and Medical Innovation, named in honour of the late physician whose actions during the 2014 Ebola outbreak helped prevent a national health emergency.

The inaugural National Laureate Awards are scheduled to hold in November 2026.

The committee is chaired by the President of the Nigerian Academy of Science, Emeritus Professor Abubakar Sambo, with members drawn from the National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and other academic institutions.

Responding on behalf of the committee, Professor Sambo described the programme as a historic milestone for Nigeria’s education sector and pledged that the selection process would be transparent, merit-based and free from institutional bias.

He said every qualified student, regardless of institution or geographical location, would have an equal opportunity to emerge as a National Laureate.

The committee also expressed confidence that the initiative would strengthen collaboration between tertiary institutions, industry and government while promoting commercially viable research capable of driving national economic development.