The University of Lagos(UNILAG) has ranked as number one among Nigerian universities and 401-500th out of over 1,799 institutions across the world.
This was contained in the 2023 Times Higher Education World University Rankings released on Wednesday.
UNILAG is sharing the first spot with the University of Ibadan, which is also ranked 401-500th in the world.
Covenant University is placed third in the 601 to 800 band while Bayero University Kano and Federal University Akure are in the 1001 to 1200 band.
In the 1, 201 to 1, 500 band are University of Ilorin, University of Nigeria Nsukka and Obafemi Awolowo University.
The three universities in the 1500+ category are Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology and Nnamdi Azikiwe University.
In total, Nigeria had 12 universities on the 2023 global rankings.
The top five universities in the 2023 world rankings are Oxford, Harvard, Cambridge, Stanford, and MIT.
Chairman of the Nigerian Universities Ranking Advisory Committee (NURAC), Prof Emeritus Peter Okebukola in a statement at the end of the Times Higher Education World Academic Summit in New York, said over the last 12 months, NURAC had been working with all universities and building capacities to ensure the actualisation of this mandate.
The statement reads: “Nigeria was singled out and publicly announced at the summit by the management of Times Higher Education World University Rankings as having made one of the most significant improvements in ranking within a year.
“From five universities in the top band in 2022 to twelve universities within a year is a remarkable feat.
“There are over 30,000 universities in the world today and about 1,799 were ranked by Times Higher Education after meeting the ranking criteria.”
He explained that institutions that applied for the ranking were assessed on 13 carefully calibrated performance indicators that measured an institution’s performance across four areas of teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.
The former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) noted that across Nigeria, physical sciences was the most frequently ranked subject.
“In the 2023 ranking, Nigeria had better scores in the international co-authorship metric but had low scores in international students, international staff, industry income, doctorates/staff, research reputation and teaching reputation.
“Between 2019 and 2023, the citation score for Nigeria increased by an average of 30. Conversely, the industry score decreased by an average of 2.5,” the statement said.
Okebukola noted that 45 Nigerian universities, among the highest in the world, are in the reporter category for the 2023 ranking, adding that with a little nudge, they will be eligible for inclusion in the elite league tables.
“The universities in alphabetical order are: Adamawa State University, Mubi; Akwa Ibom State University; Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike; American University of Nigeria; Augustine University; Babcock University; Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere-Ekiti; Baze University; Bells University of Technology; Benson Idahosa University; Bowen University; Coal City University; Cross River University of Technology; Ebonyi State University; Edo State University Uzairue; Evangel University, Akaeze; Federal University Gashua; Federal University of Kashere; Federal University of Lafia; Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun; Federal University of Technology Minna; Federal University of Technology Owerri; First Technical University; Fountain University; Gregory University Uturu; Ignatius Ajuru University of Education; University of Jos; Kings University; Lagos State University; Landmark University; Michael and Cecilia Ibru University; Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike; Niger Delta University; Nigerian Police Academy, Wudil; Novena University; Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology; Salem University; Samuel Adegboyega University; Sokoto State University; Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University; Usman Danfodiyo University; University of Uyo; Veritas University, Abuja; Wellspring University; Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano.
“A new dimension is being introduced to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. This will involve some new metrics and normalisation procedures.
“I am quite hopeful that Nigerian universities will not lose their winning streak and will do excellently well on WUR 3.0 which will come into effect from 2024. The Executive Secretary of NUC, Professor Abubakar Adamu Rasheed has assured NURAC that government will continue to resource the universities including strengthening institutional and human research capacities to ensure that on all WUR 3.0 metrics Nigerian universities do not fall below the mark.
“NURAC has former vice-chancellors as zonal coordinators. These are Professor Olanrewaju Fagbohun, former VC, LASU (southwest); Professor Chinedum Nwajiuba, former VC, AE-FUNAI (southeast); Professor Joseph Ajienka, former VC, UNIPORT (south-south); Professor Angela Miri, former VC, FUL (northcentral); Professor Mohammad Yahuza Bello, former VC, BUK (northwest); and Professor Jibrila D. Amin (northeast). Others are Emeritus Professor Nimi Briggs, representing STRADVCOM; Dr. Biodun Saliu, NUC Director Academic Planning and Mrs Hadiza Ramallan representing NUC,” the statement added.
NURAC was set up by the Executive Secretary of NUC, Professor Abubakar Rasheed, to mobilise Nigerian universities for and catalyse their participation im all global ranking schemes.
