In a move aimed at placing scholarship at the heart of national recognition, the Federal Government has introduced the Nigeria National Laureate Annual Prize Programme, a new initiative designed to reward outstanding academic research across the country’s tertiary institutions.
The programme, announced by the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Olatunji Alausa, will offer significant financial rewards to students whose dissertations and thesis demonstrate exceptional intellectual depth and commercial potential. According to details released by Boriowo Folasade, Director of Press and Public Relations at the Ministry of Education, the prize will recognise excellence at multiple academic levels.
Under the scheme, undergraduate dissertation winners will receive at least ₦5 million, master’s thesis winners will earn ₦10 million, while doctoral research judged to be exceptional will attract ₦20 million, alongside national recognition for the scholars behind the work.
Dr Alausa described the initiative as a strategic effort to reposition academic excellence within Nigeria’s national value system. By elevating top-performing students to the status of National Laureates, he explained, the desired outcome is to ensure that research and intellectual innovation receive the prestige they deserve.
He noted that while public attention often gravitates toward social influencers, innovators and researchers must also be celebrated. Through the new prize, the government wants academic thesis to evolve from mere graduation requirements into potential blueprints for industrial growth and national development.
Funding for the programme will come from the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD) in partnership with strategic collaborators, a model designed to keep the initiative sustainable without placing additional pressure on public funds.
Implementation will be overseen by a 10-member NERD National Laureate Prize Committee chaired by Prof. Abubakar Sambo. The committee includes representatives from key institutions such as the Nigerian Academy of Letters, the Nigerian Academy of Sciences, the National Universities Commission, the National Board for Technical Education, and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.
As part of the programme’s vision, some prizes will carry the names of distinguished Nigerians who have made notable contributions to the country. The first award will be named in honour of Dr Stella Adadevoh, recognised for her courage, professionalism, and sacrifice.
Tertiary institutions across Nigeria have been asked to submit their best academic works for consideration, although the committee may also independently identify exceptional research.
For the 2026 cycle, submissions will open in May through the NERD portal, with evaluations scheduled between June and September. The winners will then be celebrated at the National Laureate Gala in Abuja in November, where Nigeria’s brightest academic minds will be formally honoured.
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