President Bola Tinubu has congratulated six distinguished Nigerians in the Diaspora who were named among the 400 recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers by United States President Joe Biden.
The recognition, announced on January 14, 2025, highlights the exceptional contributions of scientists and engineers in the early stages of their careers. It is considered the highest honour in the United States for early-career scientists and engineers, established by former President Bill Clinton in 1996.
The announcement was made by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Tinubu, through a post on his X handle on Thursday, January 16.
Sharing photos of the honorees, Onanuga wrote, “This year’s awardees are employed or funded by 14 participating United States government agencies.”
The Nigerian recipients of the prestigious award include:
– 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.
– Oluwatomi Akindele, Postdoctoral researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
– Eno Ebong, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, and Biology at Northeastern University.
– Oluwasanmi Koyejo, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University.
– Abidemi Ajiboye, Executive Vice Chair of the Case School of Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University.
President Tinubu lauded the honorees for their remarkable achievements in science, technology, and engineering, describing them as trailblazers and a source of inspiration.
“The Nigerian leader notes that recognising these exceptional talents underscores Nigerians’ vast potential to excel both at home and on the global stage,” Onanuga stated.
Tinubu expressed hope that the multidisciplinary expertise of these awardees would be harnessed to contribute to Nigeria’s development under his administration’s **Renewed Hope Agenda**.
The PECASE, celebrated annually, showcases groundbreaking contributions in science and technology and reinforces the importance of global collaboration in addressing critical challenges. Tinubu’s acknowledgment of these Nigerian honorees reflects his administration’s commitment to celebrating excellence among Nigerians worldwide.
