NLNG Announces Winner for the Science Prize and Shortlist of Three for Literature Prize

Aug 12, 2010

Prof Akaehomen Ibhadode has emerged winner of this year’s edition of Nigeria’s most prestigious award for science, The Nigeria Prize for Science, sponsored by Nigeria LNG Limited.

Professor Ibhadode won the award for his work entitled Development of New Methods for Precision Die Design.

The Panel of Judges for the science prize today made their decision public through the Committee for Science in a world press conference at Oceanview Restaurant, Lagos.

In awarding the prize to Prof Ibhadode, the judges noted that he has made significant contributions to the field of cold forging. He developed a mathematical model for the design of forging die based on die expansion methods, an optimal procedure for the selection of the most cost effective die design.

According to the judges, “In an industrializing economy like Nigeria, the products of the precision die process are particularly important in the development of small and medium scale enterprises on which the economy depends for its accelerated growth. He has applied the methods not only for the steel industry but also for the development of aluminium products.”

Last year, Prof Jonathan Nok won the science prize for his seminal work in discovering the gene responsible for the creation of Sialidase (SD), an enzyme which causes sleeping sickness (Trypanosomiasis). His work will form the baseline for developing DNA-based vaccines against Trypanosoma. In 2008, Prof. Ebenezer Meshida won the coveted prize for his innovative entry, Solution to Road Pavement Destabilization by the Invention of ‘Lateralite’: A Stabilizing Flux For Fine Grained Lateritic Soils. Prof. Michael Adikwu won in 2006 for his work on snail mucin as a delivery agent in pharmaceutical formulations. In 2007 and 2005, there were no winners while Prof Susu Akpoveta Susu and his then doctorate student Kingsley Abhulimen shared the prize for their outstanding contribution to research in real-time leak detection in a network of pipelines, or other flow systems, carrying liquids. Their work reduces response time to leaks from 20 minutes to three to eight minutes.

Also at the same press conference, the Panel of Judges for The Nigeria Prize for Literature announced the names of the writers who made it to the final shortlist of three. Just two weeks ago, the judges had released an initial shortlist of eleven.

The competition for the literature prize promises to be as exciting as ever; the three shortlisted contestants are writers of considerable repute. In alphabetical order by surname, the writers (and their books) are:

Adinoyi-Ojo Onukaba      (The Killing Swamp)

Esiaba Irobi                   (Cemetery Road)

Ahmed Yerima               (Little Drops …)

Although there was no winner last year, in the past, the literature prize has been won by the very eminent poet and octogenarian Gabriel Okara and late Prof Ezenwa Ohaeto for their books of poetry The Dreamer, His Vision and Chants of a Minstrel respectively (joint winners, 2005); Ahmed Yerima for his play Hard Ground (2006); the venerable Mabel Segun for her children’s book Reader’s Theatre, Prof Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo for My Cousin Sammy (joint winners, 2007). In 2008, the young and almost jejune Kaine Agary won the prize for her novel Yellow Yellow.

As has been the tradition, the eventual winner of the literature prize will be announced at the NLNG Grand Award Night on October 9^th.

Members of the panel of judges for science include Prof. Anya O Anya, Chairman, Prof. Awele Maduemezia, Prof. Gabriel Ogunmola, Prof. Grace Olaniyan-Taylor, Prof. Lateef Salako.

Members of the panel of judges for the literature prize include Prof. Dapo Adelugba, Chairman, Prof. Mary Kolawole, Prof. John Ilah, Prof. Kalu Uka, Prof. Tanimu Abubakar.