Posted by By Peter Egwuatu on
THE Nigerian National Merit Award (NNMA) has named Professors Laz Edward N. Ekwueme (Humanities), Ayodede Oladele Falase (Medicine) and Oladipo O. Adamolekun (Humanities) as nominees for this year's Nigeria National Order of Merit (NNOM).
LAGOS - THE Nigerian National Merit Award (NNMA) has named Professors Laz Edward N. Ekwueme (Humanities), Ayodede Oladele Falase (Medicine) and Oladipo O. Adamolekun (Humanities) as nominees for this year's Nigeria National Order of Merit (NNOM).
The award winners are expected to cart away N1 million each as against N750,000.00 given to winners in previous years, on December 1, 2005 when they are scheduled to be conferred with the awards.
Chairman of the Governing Board of the NNMA, Professor Anya. O. Anya said yesterday that 'only a total of 43 Nigerians had in 26 years been conferred with the NNOM awards since the inception of the award in 1979 in the following fields: Medicine 10, Engineering/Technology 6, Science 7, and Humanities 20.
'The three professors will be conferred with the NNOM award on Thursday, December 1, 2005 by Mr. President/Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. The monetary reward for this year's winners will be increased to N1 million. It is the most prestigious award for distinguished people in the academics."
Briefing newsmen, Anya said: 'A winner of the prestigious NNMA is entitled to use the acronym NNOM. In addition to this, the laureate must give an award winners' lecture, at least once in his lifetime. The award winners' lecture is organised at least twice every year at different locations in the country. These lectures are organised in different parts of the country to give opportunities to Nigerians to witness once and to appreciate at first hand the thoughts and contributions of the laureates to the growth of the country. The lectures are also on a variety of subjects influenced by the various disciplines and the different areas of human endeavour that laureates have experience in."