• Alausa inaugurates national laureate c’ttee, unveils N365m research prize
•Initiative designed to elevate academic excellence
Emmanuel Addeh and Kuni Tyessi in Abuja
The federal government yesterday announced plans to end the separation of Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) from Senior Secondary Schools (SSS) as part of sweeping reforms aimed at tackling Nigeria’s growing out-of-school children crisis, revealing that more than 20 million pupils who enrolled in primary schools failed to transition to senior secondary education.
Also, the federal government has inaugurated the Tertiary Institutions National Laureate Committee, a development education stakeholders have described as one of Nigeria’s most ambitious attempts to reposition scholarship, innovation and research as national priorities.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, spoke about government’s plan to restructure the JSS and SSS education system in Abuja while inaugurating the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee.
Alausa said the current education structure, which separates junior and senior secondary schools, had failed to ensure a seamless transition for learners and had significantly contributed to the country’s high school dropout rate.
According to him, government data showed that while Nigeria has about 80,000 public primary schools, there are only about 15,000 junior secondary schools, creating a major gap in the transition from primary to secondary education.
“Where do the children go after primary school? We have 80,000 primary schools but only 15,000 junior secondary schools. Where are those students?” he asked.
He added that the policy had resulted in overcrowded junior secondary schools while many senior secondary schools remained underutilised.
“We have overflowing junior secondary schools and empty senior secondary schools. I can objectively report today that this disarticulation policy has failed. We will phase it out. We cannot continue creating administrative positions while damaging our education system. It is about doing what is best for every Nigerian child,” the minister said.
Alausa acknowledged that previous administrations had not adequately addressed the challenge but expressed confidence that the current government would reverse the trend.
“The previous governments may have failed in this regard, but this government will not fail. We are fixing this. We need to create more opportunities for children to move seamlessly through the education system,” he said.
He added that the proposal to abolish the policy would be presented at the next meeting of the National Council on Education for consideration and possible adoption.
Meanwhile, the federal government has inaugurated the Tertiary Institutions National Laureate Committee, a development education stakeholders have described as one of Nigeria’s most ambitious attempts to reposition scholarship, innovation and research as national priorities.
The Committee will set in motion a new annual award programme that will reward outstanding undergraduate, master’s and doctoral research with prizes valued at approximately N365 million.
The Committee was inaugurated by the Minister of Education, Alausa, at the Digital Resource Centre of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and will oversee the implementation of the programme.
The initiative is a flagship designed to elevate academic excellence to the highest level of national recognition while promoting research commercialisation and innovation across Nigeria’s accredited post-secondary and tertiary institutions.
Speaking at the inauguration, Alausa said the programme represented a deliberate effort by the federal government to reshape the country’s reward system. According to him, it will place scholarly achievement, scientific discovery and innovation alongside other nationally celebrated accomplishments.
The minister said the initiative seeks to inspire a new generation of young Nigerians to pursue research capable of solving real-world problems, creating new industries and strengthening the nation’s global competitiveness.
“The future prosperity of nations will increasingly depend on their ability to convert knowledge into economic value,” the minister said. He noted that Nigeria must deliberately celebrate intellectual achievement if it hopes to build a globally competitive knowledge economy.
Alausa observed that in an era increasingly dominated by the social media-driven “attention economy”, the federal government considered it necessary to establish a national platform. The platform will reward creativity, scholarship, invention and commercially valuable research, particularly among young people.
The newly inaugurated Committee comprises the following members: Prof. Abubakar Sambo, President of the Nigerian Academy of Science, as Chairman; Prof. Solomon Nwhator of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; Prof. Tolulope Ariyomo of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti as well as Prof. Francis Uba of the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo.
Others are: Dr Babangida Abubakar Albaba, representing the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE); Dr Salihu Bakari Girei, representing TETFund; Prof. Carol Arinze-Umobi of Nnamdi Azikiwe University; Dr Obianuju Anigbogu, representing the Federal Ministry of Education and Mr. Francis Egbokare, representing the Nigerian Academy of Letters.
Also announced as members of the committee are: Dr Ezinne Orisakwe, representing the National Universities Commission (NUC); and Dr Pius Ekireghwo, representing the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).
Mr Richard Falaye, Secretary of the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD), will serve as Secretary to the Committee.
The inaugural National Laureate Awards are scheduled for November 2026 and will recognise the country’s finest undergraduate dissertations, master’s theses and doctoral (PhD) theses, alongside six thematic excellence awards.
The thematic categories cover medicine and health sciences, engineering and technology, agriculture, law, arts and social sciences, and teaching innovation.
Under the approved prize structure, the winner of the undergraduate dissertation category will receive N35 million, while the best master’s thesis will attract N50 million. The overall winner in the Doctoral (PhD) category will receive N100 million.
In addition, six National Laureate Excellence Awards, each valued at N30 million, will be presented annually. This brings the programme’s total prize pool to approximately N365 million.
The minister also announced the establishment of the Dr Stella Adadevoh Excellence Award in Medicine and Medical Innovation. The award, one of the programme’s special awards, honours the late physician whose leadership during the 2014 Ebola outbreak helped prevent a national public health catastrophe.
He further directed the Committee to conclude its work on eligibility requirements, evaluation procedures and institutional engagement in good time. This, he said, is to ensure the successful hosting of the inaugural National Laureate Awards in November.
Besides, Alausa used the occasion to commend Olatunji Ariyomo, Chairman of the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD), for his innovative contributions towards transformative interventions within Nigeria’s education sector.
Responding on behalf of the Committee, its Chairman, Emeritus Professor Abubakar Sambo, described the initiative as a historic turning point in the nation’s education policy. He praised President Bola Tinubu’s administration for placing academic excellence and research at the centre of national development.
Sambo pledged that the Committee would uphold the highest standards of transparency, fairness and merit throughout the selection process. He commended the minister for leading a national revolution to reward and promote innovation and its commercialisation.
He assured the minister that every eligible student, irrespective of institution or geographical location, would have an equal opportunity to attain National Laureate status. The process, he said, would be insulated from institutional favouritism and other extraneous considerations.
