By Emeka Ejere

“Nanostructured metal hydrides for the storage of electric power from renewable energy sources and for explosion prevention in high voltage power transformers”, a work by Peter Ngene, is the winning entry for this year’s The Nigeria Prize for Science, worth a $100, 000.

Making the announcement at a press conference in Lagos, Akpoveta Susu, the chairman of the Advisory Board for the Science Prize and a science prize laureate, noted that the winning work is a new type of energy storage with implications on renewable energy development.

He explained that the work also contributes to surmounting challenges in Nigeria around power transformers explosions due to degradation of insulators in the transformers.

In his remarks, Andy Odeh, the manager, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department at NLNG, sponsors of the Prize, noted that the essence of the Science Price is to ensure that hard work is recognised and encouraged in the area of science.

Odey who represented the managing director, the NLNG said: “With each passing year, our belief grows stronger that there is a place for The Nigeria Prize for Science in the quest to develop our country through science research and technology.”

Also speaking, Barth Nnaji, a renowned nuclear physicist and former minister for Power, described the prize as the biggest science prize in Africa, pointing out that although the entry for the prize is open to people of all nationalities, “it must address only Nigeria’s problem.”

Ngene is an assistant professor in the Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis group of the Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University in The Netherlands.

He is the recipient of the prestigious KNCV (The Royal Dutch Chemical Association) Van Arkel best PhD thesis (2012/2013) award, and the chair of the 2013 Gordon Research Seminar, GRS, on Metal-Hydrogen system in Italy.

He was also recently recognised as one of African leading young scientists by the award of the prestigious NEF (Next Einstein Forum) fellowship by President Paul Rwanda and the chairman of the African Union.

The decision on the winning entry was reached by a panel of judges, led by Professor Francis Oluwole, a professor of Physics with a wealth of experience in atomic and nuclear energy.

The first winner for the prize in 2004 was Akpoveta Susu and Kingsley Abhulimen, his then doctoral student. In 2005, there was no winner. Michael Adikwu won the prize in 2006. In 2007, as it was in 2005, there was no winner. However, in 2008, Ebenezer Meshida emerged winner.

Andrew Nok and Akii Ibhadode won the prize in 2009 and 2010 respectively. There was no winner until 2017 when the prize was jointly awarded to three entries by Ikeoluwapo Ajayi, Ayodele Jegede, Bidemi Yusuf, Olugbenga Mokuolu and Chukwuma Agubata.