Nigeria, April 1 -- The Nigerian government has unveiled a new initiative to reward outstanding academic research by undergraduate and postgraduate students in Nigerian tertiary institutions.

The initiative, known as the Nigeria National Laureate Annual Prize Programme, was announced in a statement by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo.

The government has also announced the constitution of a 10-member committee to oversee the implementation of the programme.

According to the statement, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, said the programme is aimed at promoting scholarly excellence and positioning research as a driver of national development.

Mr Alausa described the scheme as a strategic intervention...