Nigerian universities must strengthen their global academic reputation, research output and international collaborations to improve the country’s performance in global university rankings, Chairman of the Nigerian Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee (NiTERAC), Prof. Peter Okebukola, has said.

Okebukola, a former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, made the submission while assessing Nigeria’s performance in the 2027 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings released on Wednesday.

The 2027 ranking assessed 2,297 universities across 118 countries and territories, with Nigeria recording 29 ranked universities, an increase from 24 institutions in the 2026 edition.

Nigeria also recorded the highest number of ranked universities in sub-Saharan Africa, which had 69 institutions featured in the latest edition.

According to Okebukola, the increase in the number of Nigerian universities in the global ranking should be accompanied by greater attention to areas where the country continues to perform below its potential.

He identified global academic reputation as the biggest opportunity for improving Nigeria’s standing, noting that reputation-related measures account for 33 per cent of the overall ranking score.

Okebukola said Nigerian universities could improve their international academic standing by participating more actively in international conferences, undertaking joint research projects, attracting visiting professors and strengthening relationships with academics and alumni in the diaspora.

He also called for improved research funding and productivity, more accurate institutional data submission, increased doctoral output, deeper international collaboration and mobility, as well as stronger engagement with industry and greater patenting activity.

His assessment showed that Research Quality was Nigeria’s strongest ranking pillar, with a mean score of 43.3. Research Environment and Teaching recorded mean scores of 13.9 and 20.6 respectively.

Covenant, UI, UNILAG lead Nigerian universities
The latest THE ranking placed Covenant University, the University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos jointly in Nigeria’s highest position, within the 801–1000 global band.
Covenant University improved from the 1001–1200 band in the 2026 edition, while the University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos retained their positions.

Four other Nigerian universities — Ahmadu Bello University, Bayero University, Landmark University and the University of Ilorin — were placed in the 1001–1200 band.

The development brought the number of Nigerian universities in the global top 1,200 to seven.

Okebukola noted that federal universities continued to dominate Nigeria’s institutions in the upper bands, with five of the seven universities in the top 1,200 being federal institutions.

They are the University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, University of Ilorin, Ahmadu Bello University and Bayero University.

He said the number of federal universities in the top 1,200 increased from three in 2026 to five in 2027, while their share of Nigeria’s institutions in the band rose from 60 per cent to 71.4 per cent.

Overall, 19 federal universities, seven state universities and three private universities were ranked.

32 universities listed as Reporters
Beyond the 29 institutions that made the ranked table, 32 Nigerian universities were listed as “Reporters” after submitting data but failing to meet the requirements for inclusion in the ranking.

Sixteen of the Reporter institutions are private universities, 12 are state-owned and four are federal universities.

Okebukola said the latest results should be treated as a diagnostic tool for the Nigerian higher education system and provide empirical evidence for the work of NiTERAC.

The THE World University Rankings assess research-intensive universities based on their core missions, with indicators covering areas such as teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.

Nigeria to introduce national tertiary institutions ranking
Against the backdrop of the latest global ranking, Okebukola disclosed that NiTERAC had commenced work on a national ranking of Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.

He said the exercise followed a directive from the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, and is expected to be completed before December 15, 2026.

According to him, the national ranking is designed to stimulate healthy competition among tertiary institutions while helping Nigeria improve its performance in international rankings.

He said the national exercise would complement global rankings and enable institutions to identify gaps in areas such as research environment, doctoral output and academic reputation.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has sponsored the registration of 120 inmates of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Federal Capital Territory Command, for the 2026 National Business and Technical Examinations Board and National Examinations Council examinations.

The initiative was part of activities marking Abbas’ 61st birthday and was carried out at the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kuje, Abuja.

The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the FCT Command Public Relations Officer of the NCoS, DSC Ahmed Duza.

During the event, results were also symbolically presented to inmates who participated in the 2025 NABTEB and NECO examinations.

Represented by his Special Adviser on Humanitarian Affairs, David Igbe, Abbas said the initiative was aimed at ensuring that incarceration did not prevent inmates from accessing education and opportunities for personal development.

“Today we are registering another 120 inmates for this year’s NABTEB and NECO examinations.

“This is a continuation of our commitment to ensuring that incarceration does not become a barrier to education, personal development and the opportunity to build a better future,” he said.

The Speaker commended the management and staff of the NCoS for creating an environment that supports the education and reformation of inmates.

The Controller of Corrections, FCT Command, Christopher Jen, who represented the Controller-General of Corrections, Sylvester Nwakuche, described education as a key component of the reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates into society.

Jen thanked the Speaker for identifying with inmates as part of his birthday activities and appealed for greater employment opportunities for reformed inmates.

He said inmates who had undergone rehabilitation were prepared to contribute positively to national development if given the necessary opportunities.

The controller also reaffirmed the command’s commitment to expanding access to education within custodial centres, while appreciating the Speaker and other partners supporting educational programmes for inmates.

Similarly, the representative of the Deputy Controller-General in charge of Inmates Training and Productivity, SC Igomu Augustine, commended the initiative and the continued support for education in correctional facilities.

Igomu said Abbas had taken the lead in sponsoring the registration of inmates for NECO examinations across custodial centres.

The Education Desk Officer, DSC Adikwu Owoicho, disclosed that more than 2,000 inmates had been registered for various educational programmes within the FCT Command.

He added that inmates who sat for the 2025 NABTEB and NECO examinations recorded encouraging performances.

Some beneficiary inmates also shared their experiences during the event, which featured birthday tributes, special prayers and the cutting of Abbas’ 61st birthday cake.

Crawford University, Igbesa, Ogun State, has received approval from the National Universities Commission (NUC) to commence six undergraduate health sciences programmes and three postgraduate programmes from the 2026/2027 academic session.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Solomon Makinde, disclosed this on Tuesday in his welcome address at the 5th International Conference of the International Association of Languages Educators (IALE) 2026, being hosted by the institution.

The approval followed a resource verification exercise conducted by the NUC in the last week of August 2026, during which the commission assessed the human and material resources provided by the university for the proposed programmes.

Makinde said the approval represented a significant milestone in the institution’s strategic development and fulfilled a key commitment of his administration to expand the university’s academic portfolio.

He said the development would also enable the university to contribute more significantly to human-capital development, particularly in areas linked to healthcare and professional training.

“Today, with gratitude to God and appreciation to the National Universities Commission, I am pleased to announce that all six undergraduate health sciences programmes and the three postgraduate programmes presented for Resource Verification have received approval for commencement in the 2026/2027 Academic Session,” the vice-chancellor said.

The six newly approved undergraduate programmes are Nursing Science, Public Health, Community Health, Medical Laboratory Science, Radiography and Physiotherapy.

At the postgraduate level, the university received approval to commence programmes in Finance, Marketing and Mass Communication.

The expansion is expected to broaden opportunities for prospective students seeking professional training in healthcare-related disciplines, while the postgraduate programmes will increase the university’s offerings for graduates seeking advanced qualifications in business and communication-related fields.

Makinde described the NUC approval as “a significant milestone in the history and strategic development of Crawford University,” adding that the new programmes would strengthen the institution’s academic portfolio.

The announcement was made during the IALE 5th International Conference 2026, which has brought together educators and scholars from various institutions to Crawford University.

Crawford University is a private Christian university in Igbesa, Ogun State. The institution was established by the Apostolic Faith Mission and was licensed by the National Universities Commission in April 2005.

The university operates with a focus on academic development and moral values, guided by its motto, “Knowledge with Godliness.”

The commencement of the newly approved programmes from the 2026/2027 academic session marks another phase in the university’s expansion as it seeks to widen access to higher education and professional training in Nigeria.