Ayo Oyoze Baje
“We have gotten to a point when governments and institutions should charge our scientists and technologists to find solutions to many of our persisting economic challenges with a prize to the bargain.”(Maximising the potentials of talented Nigerians, 2017 )
Love or hate it, there is something unique, something profound, compelling, creative, and ingenious about the Nigerian DNA. Whatever it is, it certainly demonstrates outstanding success, like the famed phoenix’s resilience against all odds. And interestingly, such has been amply shown across the wide spectrum of human endeavour and parlayed in different parts of the world. Name it- from the arts, science, technology, healthcare delivery, agriculture, to sports and entertainment, their names ring a loud bell, sometimes in deafening decibels. But first, what does DNA really mean?https://urbanexpresslive.com/epl-why-gary-neville-gives-arsenal-only-condition-to-win-title-ahead-of-man-city/
According to the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the molecule that carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth, and reproduction of all known organisms. The Nigerian DNA is there for all to feel its impact https://urbanexpresslive.com/afcon-what-eric-chelle-said-regarding-three-players-that-impressed-him/
as made visible by our. top Nigerian scientists and innovators across technology, medicine, and engineering.
For instance, one of the World’s Youngest PhD Holders and the youngest person to enrol in a university in the UK is the British-Nigerian Maths Genius, Esther Okade, a Ph.D
A holder of a degree in financial mathematics at age 16, Esther Okade was reported by CNN to have enrolled at a British university at age 10 and to have been top of the class among 24-year-olds. On his part, another Nigerian genius, Master Chika Ofili, a 12-year-old based in the UK, received the ”TruLittle Hero Award”Breaking: Mallami’s Prosecution, AGF Fagbemi Set To Take Over Case
for making a discovery in Mathematics by discovering a new formula for divisibility by 7.
In a similar vein, Thessalonika Arzu Embry is rewriting every rule, graduating high school at 11, earning her bachelor’s degree at 14, earning her MBA at 16, and completing her PhD at just 17. With an IQ of 199, she’s also an author and licensed pilot whose drive and curiosity continue to inspire young scholars everywhere.
Incredible but true, isn’t it? Of course it is. But there is more to the Nigerian DNA that you need to know.
In August 2025, Nafisa Abdullahi, walking shoulders-high, took the same bold steps to defeat more than 20,000 students from 69 countries and become a global champion in English-language skills, including quizzes, essay writing, and spelling.
It has been a similar scenario for another Nigerian student, Dr Victor Olalusi, who also emerged the best graduating student with a grade point of 5.0 at the Faculty of Clinical Sciences at the Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow. Olalusi never fell below 5.0 in any of the courses he took throughout his studies, not even in the Russian language class. That uncommon brilliance was not only the first of its kind in Russia but also in the world.
All of these young, brilliant minds remind us of older Nigerian-born creative minds who excelled in different fields. These include Philip Emeagwali (supercomputing), Jelani Aliyu (automotive design), and Silas Adekunle (robotics). Others, such as Dr Samuel Achilefu and Dr Ayodeji Amobonye, are pioneering advances in biomedical imaging and biotechnology
All of these young, brilliant minds remind us of older Nigerian-born creative minds who excelled in different fields. These include Philip Emeagwali (supercomputing), Jelani Aliyu (automotive design), and Silas Adekunle (robotics). Others, such as Dr Samuel Achilefu and Dr. Ayodeji Amobonye, are pioneering advances in biomedical imaging and biotechnology
On his part, Gabriel Oyibo, the Kogi State-born engineer, mathematician, researcher and physicist, has done what the world-renowned Albert Einstein could not achieve for thirty years! Back in 2002, he successfully solved the Grand Unification Field Theory. For that, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2002 and 2003. He is an expert whom the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has gained from.
As for Ufot Ekong, the Akwa Ibom native solved a mathematical puzzle that students had been unable to solve for three decades in his first semester at Tokai University in Japan. He did not stop at that as he went on to break a 50-year-old academic record by graduating as the ‘Best All Rounder’ with a first-class degree in electrical engineering and getting the highest grades the university had witnessed in 50 years.
Currently working for Nissan while pursuing a Master’s Degree programme in Electric/Electronic Systems Engineering, Ufot Ekong already has two patents to his name for developing an electric car.
In a similar vein, Prof. Samuel Achilefu developed a groundbreaking set of high-tech, cancer-visualising goggles that assist surgeons in seeing cancer cells in real time while operating on patients. It won him the prestigious St. Louis Award in 2014.
Furthermore, and in a remarkable note, three Nigerian lecturers, Dr Aliyu Isa Aliyu, Tukur Abdulkadir Sulaiman, and Abdullahi Yusuf, have been listed among the top 2% most-cited scientists in the world. Also, amongst the top Nigerian space scientists and pioneers are Dr Temidayo Oniosun, who started the space-based agricultural research, Owolabi Salis, the first Nigerian in space, and Dr Wendy Okolo, a leading NASA aerospace engineer.
In the field of medicine, top Nigerian doctors, both locally and internationally, are recognised for their groundbreaking surgical achievements, specialised research, and high-impact medical leadership. The names that stand out include pioneer fetal surgeon Dr Oluyinka Olutoye, COVID-19 vaccine trial leader Dr Onyema Ogbuagu, and innovator Dr Seyi Oyesola. But the critical and pertinent question remains.
While these great individuals are actively advancing Nigeria’s footprint in global space technology, exploration, and satellite engineering, supported by pioneers like Prof. P.N. Okeke, with others becoming game-changers across the global landscape of arts and entertainment, how much impact have they made back home? What role have the federal and state governments played in bringing them on board to change the narrative of our infrastructural decay, poor education and healthcare delivery, food insecurity, low productive capacity, mass youth unemployment, and, of course, the persisting poverty conundrum ravaging our fatherland? That is the million-dollar question, yours truly has been asking our political leaders for years, through opinion essays and public affairs analysis on radio and television programs and still
waiting for credible answers.
So, the pertinent questions persist. Do the governments, both federal and state, have credible data on these great achievers and their products? Are there long-lasting and sustainable policies and programmes which the country could anchor on to tap into its genius? How would they be relevant to growing our economy if they return to Nigeria, given the absence of stable electricity, good access roads, and access to loans at single-digit interest rates to give life to their dreams? And what about an unstable polity with an over-bloated federal centre that is structured against fast-paced economic activities in the geo-political zones and states? How do we relate the absurd self-enriching salary structure to provide much-needed incentives to catalyse innovations and inventions aimed at solving endemic problems in agriculture and solid mineral sector, more so at a time we are angling for diversification?
We have reached a point at which governments and institutions should commission our scientists and technologists to find solutions to many of our persistent economic challenges, with a prize to sweeten the deal. For instance, in 1795, the French military offered a cash prize of 12,000 francs for a new method to preserve food. In 1795, Nicholas Appert began experimenting with ways to preserve food, succeeding with soups, vegetables, juices, dairy products, jellies, jams, and syrups. He placed the food in glass jars, sealed them with cork and sealing wax and placed them in boiling water. After some 14 years of experimentation, Appert submitted his invention and won the prize in January 1810 on the condition that he make the method public the same year.
The private sector should not be left out. How would it feel if Dangote had a prize for solutions to pot-hole-riddled roads? His colleagues in more developed countries are already thinking ahead, about who and what would take over from Sean Parker, Mark Zuckerberg and Evan Spiegel. One billionaire called Peter Thiel has a Foundation that gives out $100,000(dollars) each to young inventors. Out of the over 122 beneficiaries so far, the most notable is James Proud. His ingenious product, called Sense, is a small hardware gadget worth $149 that monitors how well the buyer sleeps. It has been discovered that the quality of our sleep affects our health and longevity. It has a sales projection of 250,000 units for 2017 that would translate to $20million!
Recall that I had suggested to this administration through my opinion essay, “Making the best use of our best brains”, that we should begin to tap into the valuable products of our geniuses. The earlier we catch them young and provide them with the enabling environment to thrive, the better for us all
