Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu has lauded six accomplished Nigerian scientists and engineers who have been named among the 400 recipients of the prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in the United States.
The award, established in 1996 by former US President Bill Clinton, is the highest honour granted by the US government to outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their careers.
This year’s recipients, announced by President Joe Biden on January 14, 2025, were selected from 14 US government agencies for their groundbreaking contributions to science, technology and engineering.
The six Nigerians are Azeez Butali, Gilbert Lilly Endowed Professor of Diagnostic Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Iowa; Ijeoma Opara, Associate Professor of Public Health (Social and Behavioral Sciences), Yale School of Public Health, Yale University; and Oluwatomi Akindele, Postdoctoral Researcher, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Others are Eno Ebong, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, and Biology, Northeastern University; Oluwasanmi Koyejo, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Stanford University; and Abidemi Ajiboye, Executive Vice Chair, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case School of Engineering, Case Western Reserve University.
In a statement released on Thursday, January 16 by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, President Tinubu praised the honorees for their remarkable achievements.
“The Nigerian leader notes that recognising these exceptional talents underscores Nigerians’ vast potential to excel both at home and on the global stage.
“He looks forward to the honorees sharing their multidisciplinary expertise to benefit Nigeria’s development efforts under the Renewed Hope Agenda,” the statement added.
