Nigerian Students &
Potential Nobel Prize
StatiSense ® - Wale Micaiah ©
In this study, we take a look at Career
choices among Nigerian Students and the
possibility of having another Nobel
Laureate
Wole Soyinka
Nigeria only Nobel Prize Winner
(Literature – 1986)
About the Nobel Prizes
Every year since 1901 the Nobel Prize has been awarded
for achievements in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or
Medicine, Literature and for Peace. The Nobel Prize is an
international award administered by the Nobel
Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden.
In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank established The Sveriges
Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of
Alfred Nobel, founder of the Nobel Prize. Each prize
consists of a medal, personal diploma, and a cash
award.
A definite pointer to the possibility of an individual
winning the Nobel prize in Physics, Chemistry,
Medicine, Literature and Economics Sciences is
their course of Study whose data can be inferred
from the UTME 2011 and 2012 applicants’ choice of
careers.
Statistics of applicants who made Physics,
Chemistry, Medicine, Literature and Economics as
their first choice would be analyzed, to see if there
exist any pattern and possibility of Nigeria having
another Nobel Laureate in any of the above fields.
Applicants’ Career Choices in UTME 2011
Applicants’ Career Choices in UTME 2012
118,624
120,000
106,372
100,000
80,000
60,000
47,783
40,000
27,580
20,000
6,526
Chemistry
Economics
Literature
Medicine / Physiology
Physics
Applicants’ Career Choices in UTME 2011 & 2012
117,158
120,000
118,624
106,372
98,903
100,000
80,000
60,000
46,556 47,783
40,000
27,580
20,000
14,514
6,526
1,231
Chemistry
Economics
Literature
Medicine / Physiology
Physics
From the Data, it can be deduced that:
 There is a growing interest in CLEMP
 Medicine/Physiology & Economics are the
two most sought after among CLEMP
 Medicine/Physiology had the least growth
rate of 1.25% between 2011 and 2012
 There seem to be a huge interest in Physics
as it experienced a 430.14% growth rate
between 2011 and 2012
 It is also good to know that less than 5% of
Medicine/Physiology applicants are likely to
be admitted as the Universities have limited
carrying capacity
CLEMP – Chemistry, Literature, Economics, Medicine & Physics
The only Nigerian Nobel Prize winner
is Professor Wole Soyinka, which he
won in 1986.
26years after no Nigerian has come close to wining
any of CLEMP, even Peace, for obvious reasons that
our institutions are far below their counterparts in
other parts of the world as well as poor funding of
Education by the Government.
Beside Nigeria, other countries in Africa with Nobel
Prize winners are Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia,
Nigeria and South Africa.
Africa Countries & Nobel Prize
Country
Chemistry Literature
South Africa
Egypt
1
Ghana
Kenya
Liberia
Nigeria
Grand Total






Peace
Physiology/ Grand
Medicine
Total
2
4
3
1
2
4
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
1
1
4
10
3
9
Award Year
2003, 2002, 1993,
1993, 1991, 1984,
1979, 1960, 1951
2005, 1999, 1988,
1978
2001
2004
2011, 2011
1986
18
No African country has won the Prize in Economics & Physics
Except Nigeria, others have won in Peace
Peace prize represents about 56% of the total awards
Wole Soyinka won for Literature (1986), the first in Africa
Japan has won more Prizes than the Africa continent
The US alone has over 330 Nobel Prize winners
Definitely, Nigeria and Nigerians can
dream…of someday producing some
Nobel Laureate prize winners in Chemistry,
Physics, Economics, Medicine/Physiology,
Literature and Peace
It is like a
Dream, may be I
will wake up to
find out is true!
Data source:
- JAMB application 2011, 2012
- Wikipedia
- www.nobelprize.org/
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Analysis by: Wale Micaiah
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