By Ismail Abdulaziz
The National Laureate Committee has approved an extension of the deadline for submitting institutional entries for the 2026 National Laureate Programme, from Aug. 31 to Sept. 15.
This followed requests from various tertiary institutions for additional time to conclude their internal selection processes and submit approved entries for the inaugural edition of the programme.
This is contained in a statement by Ita Ekpenyong, spokesperson of the committee on Monday in Abuja.
Ekpenyong said that the extension would enable participating universities, polytechnics, monotechnics, colleges of education, military institutions and other eligible tertiary institutions to firm up their respective processes.
He said that this was in line with the Institutional Laureate Selection Committees and to ensure the submission of their approved research entries within the new deadline.
The National Laureate Programme, is designed to further the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu and was inaugurated under the leadership of the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa.
It is designed to also redefine the structure of reward for academic research and innovation.
It was established as a national platform for identifying, evaluating, celebrating and rewarding exceptional undergraduate dissertations, master’s theses and doctoral research produced in accredited Nigerian tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
The NLP is supported by an annual research prize fund of N365 million.
Under the approved framework for the 2026 edition, each eligible institution may submit up to 18 outstanding research works, comprising six Undergraduate Dissertations, six Master’s Theses and six Doctoral Theses, or their recognised equivalents in polytechnics, monotechnics, colleges of education and other eligible tertiary institutions.
“All approved institutional entries for the 2026 National Laureate Programme must now be submitted on or before Tuesday, 15 September 2026, through the approved submission channels of the Programme.
”The Committee appreciates the continued cooperation of Nigeria’s tertiary institutions and remains committed to ensuring that the National Laureate Programme provides a credible and prestigious platform for recognising outstanding scholarship, promoting research excellence and strengthening Nigeria’s knowledge and innovation ecosystem.”
Ekpenyong added that more information, including detailed guidelines, committee manuals and application procedures, is available through the official National Laureate Programme channels.(NAN)
Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz