President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has celebrated six Nigerian-born scientists and engineers honoured by US President Joe Biden as recipients of the prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).
Announced on January 14, 2025, the PECASE honours early-career professionals who have made outstanding contributions to their fields. Established in 1996 by former US President Bill Clinton, the award is the highest recognition granted by White House to young scientists and engineers.
This year, the recipients are affiliated with or funded by 14 participating US government agencies.
Among the 400 awardees are six Nigerians whose groundbreaking research has gained global acclaim. They include Azeez Butali, the Gilbert Lilly endowed professor of Diagnostic Sciences at the University of Iowa’s College of Dentistry, and Ijeoma Opara, associate professor of Public Health at Yale School of Public Health.
Others are Oluwatomi Akindele, a postdoctoral researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Eno Ebong, associate professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, and Biology at Northeastern University.
The list is completed by Oluwasanmi Koyejo, assistant professor of Computer Science at Stanford University, and Abidemi Ajiboye, executive vice chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University’s Case School of Engineering.
In a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, his special adviser on information and strategy, Tinubu praised the honorees for their exceptional achievements in science, technology, and engineering, emphasising their global impact and inspirational value.
The Nigerian leader noted that recognising these exceptional talents underscores Nigerians’ vast potential to excel both at home and on the global stage.
He expressed hope that their expertise across diverse disciplines would play a role in advancing Nigeria’s development goals under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
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