The federal government has announced the Nigeria National Laureate Annual Prize Programme, which aims to reward the best student researchers across tertiary institutions in the country. 

According to a statement from the education ministry on Tuesday, the programme will award up to N20 million to students whose dissertations and theses demonstrate intellectual excellence and commercially viable innovation.

“Undergraduate dissertation winners will receive a minimum of N5 million, master’s thesis winners will receive N10 million, while doctoral thesis winners will be awarded N20 million, alongside national recognition befitting their scholarly contributions,” the statement said.

Announcing the programme, education minister Tunji Alausa described the initiative as a strategic national intervention aimed at reshaping Nigeria’s educational incentive structure by placing scholarly achievement, academic excellence, and research innovation at the forefront of national recognition.

He added, “By elevating our students to the status of celebrated National Laureates, we are ensuring that the rigour of research and academic excellence is matched with the highest level of national prestige and financial reward.”

The minister explained that while celebrating social influencers is not wrong, it must not come at the expense of innovators. 

He noted the laureate prize “signals a new era where a student’s thesis is no longer merely a graduation requirement but a potential blueprint for national industrialisation and development”.

The initiative will be fully financed by the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank and its strategic partners, ensuring sustainability without additional pressure on public funds.

According to the statement, a 10-member NERD National Laureate Prize Committee, chaired by Abubakar Sambo, will oversee the programme’s implementation, including submission, vetting and final selection of laureates.

Other members include representatives from 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.

The programme is expected to kick off with a call for entries in May. Evaluations are slated between June and September, and winners will be honoured at a National Laureate Gala in Abuja in November.