FG Directs Tertiary Institutions to Set Up Selection C’ttees for N365m Laureate Prize

•Initiative inaugurated under Alausa to reward outstanding research 

•Govt fixes August 15 deadline

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The federal government has directed universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, monotechnics, military institutions and other eligible tertiary institutions across the country to immediately constitute institutional laureate selection committees.

This is as it commenced the maiden edition of the National Laureate Programme, an initiative backed by an annual prize fund of N365 million.

In a statement issued on behalf of the committee by its spokesperson, Ita Ekpenyong, institutions were informed that every nominated research work must first be uploaded to the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank and assigned a valid National Document Number before it becomes eligible for consideration.

The directive was conveyed in a letter dated July 31, 2026, and signed by the Chairman of the National Laureate Committee, Emeritus Prof. Abubakar Sambo, to Vice Chancellors, Rectors, Provosts, Commandants and heads of tertiary institutions nationwide.

The programme, inaugurated under the leadership of the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, is designed to recognise and reward outstanding undergraduate dissertations, master’s theses and doctoral research from accredited tertiary institutions across Nigeria.

According to the committee, the initiative is intended to promote research excellence, innovation, commercialisation of research findings and national development, while raising the profile of academic scholarship in the country.

Under the approved operational guidelines, every participating institution is required to establish an Institutional Laureate Selection Committee comprising experienced academics with proven research credentials and high ethical standards.

Institutions are also expected to formally submit the names and designations of the chairman, secretary and members of the committee as part of the implementation process.

The committee added that professional associations across the six approved thematic areas would nominate subject matter experts to serve on Regional Laureate Selection Committees responsible for evaluating entries beyond the institutional level.

Following internal assessments, each university will nominate up to 18 outstanding research works comprising six undergraduate dissertations, six master’s theses and six doctoral theses. Equivalent submissions will be accepted from polytechnics, monotechnics, colleges of education and other eligible tertiary institutions.

The research entries will cover six thematic areas, namely Agriculture, Teaching Innovation, Medicine and Health Sciences, Engineering, Science and Technology, as well as Law, Arts and Social Sciences.

The National Laureate Programme provides star prizes of N35 million for the undergraduate category, N50 million for the master’s category and N100 million for the doctoral category. In addition, 15 Thematic Laureate Awards valued at N12 million each will be presented to other outstanding researchers.

The committee explained that the requirement was intended to strengthen research integrity, improve documentation and preserve Nigeria’s scholarly output within the country’s national knowledge infrastructure.

It stated that winners would emerge through a three stage evaluation process involving institutional assessments, regional evaluations and final national adjudication.

According to the committee, the multi tier evaluation process is designed to guarantee fairness, transparency and merit, ensuring that only the most outstanding research works emerge as national winners.

To facilitate participation, each institution’s approved Nigeria Education Repository and Databank focal officer will activate the Institutional Laureate Selection Committee through a dedicated dashboard, enabling authorised members to manage submissions electronically.

The committee directed participating institutions to conclude the constitution of their committees, complete internal selection processes and submit the names of committee members with the required documentation on or before August 15, 2026, while institutional research entries are to be submitted not later than August 31 through the National Laureate portal.

Speaking on the significance of the initiative, Sambo described the programme as a landmark national investment in Nigeria’s intellectual capital.

He said the National Laureate Programme was designed to elevate academic excellence to national prominence, encourage world class research, inspire innovation and commercialisation, and celebrate scholars whose work has the potential to transform lives, industries and the future of the country.

He urged heads of tertiary institutions to provide the leadership required for the successful implementation of the inaugural edition, describing the initiative as an opportunity for institutions to showcase their best research and contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s knowledge driven future.