Okebukola predicts record global rankings for Nigerian varsities

Emeritus Professor Peter Okebukola, Chairman of the Nigerian Tertiary Education and Research Analysis Committee, has predicted that Nigerian universities will achieve record-breaking global rankings from 2027 onward. This projection stems from increased competition among institutions, rising research citations, and a new national ranking framework introduced by the Federal Government.

Okebukola attributes the anticipated improvement to the mandatory national ranking exercise initiated by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, which has spurred universities to showcase their performance in teaching, research, and community service. The NiTERAC chairman also noted the growing participation of academics in citation-tracking platforms like Google Scholar and the design of the 22 indicators used for the 2026 national rankings, which were sourced from leading global ranking systems. These factors are expected to enhance the international standing of Nigerian universities.