The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa has directed the Nigeria Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee (NITERAC) led by Professor Okebukola to commence the 2026 national ranking of Nigerian tertiary institutions.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folasade on Thursday.
Boriowo said Nigeria had strengthened its presence in the global higher education landscape, with 29 Nigerian universities featuring in the 2027 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, the highest representation by any country in Sub-Saharan Africa.
According to her, the significant increase in the number of Nigerian Universities and notably Federal Universities being ranked by Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings was a clear manifestation that President Bola Tinubu, Renewed Hope Agenda for Education being powered by the Nigerian Education Sector Renewal initiatives is now yielding significant results.
She added that the development reflects the impact of ongoing education reforms under the leadership of the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, which represents a significant milestone in the Federal Government’s efforts to improve the quality, competitiveness and global visibility of Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
“The reform agenda places increased emphasis on research excellence, innovation, institutional performance and international competitiveness.
“According to the 2027 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, the number of Nigeria’s Universities being ranked globally increased from 24 universities in 2026 to 29 in 2027, with five institutions entering the rankings for the first time. An additional 32 Nigerian universities are listed in the THE Reporter category, bringing the total number of institutions engaged with the ranking exercise to 61”, she said.
The Director noted that Federal universities recorded particularly strong results, with five of the seven Nigerian universities placed within the global top 1,200 universities being federal universities, representing 71.4 per cent of Nigeria’s universities in that band.
The University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos retained their positions in the 801-1000 band, while Ahmadu Bello University and the University of Ilorin advanced into the 1001-1200 band, joining Bayero University, which retained its position. Covenant University also placed in the 801-1000 band.
The report further showed that federal universities occupy all six Nigerian positions in the 1401-1600 band, highlighting their substantial contribution to Nigeria’s improved global ranking profile.
Five of the seven Nigerian universities that recorded clear upward movement were federal institutions: Ahmadu Bello University, the University of Ilorin, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Obafemi Awolowo University and the University of Benin.
Consequently, the Minister Alausa directed Nigeria Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee (NITERAC) led by Professor Okebukola to commence the 2026 national ranking of Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, designed to stimulate healthy competition, enhance institutional visibility and strengthen the capacity of tertiary institutions to compete globally.
The emerging national ranking framework, being developed in consultation with stakeholders, will assess universities using 22 indicators, providing a stronger evidence base for identifying institutional strengths and areas requiring improvement.
The 2027 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings clearly identify Research Quality as the strongest performance pillar for Nigerian universities, while pointing to Research Environment and Teaching as areas requiring further attention. Continued improvement in academic reputation, research outcome and productivity, doctoral output, international collaboration and institutional data reporting will be important to sustaining the progress recorded.
“The Federal Ministry of Education welcomes the progress recorded by Nigerian universities and remains committed to reforms that advance research excellence, teaching quality, innovation, international engagement and institutional competitiveness.
“The Ministry views the growing participation of Nigerian universities in global rankings not merely as recognition, but as an important mechanism for benchmarking performance, identifying gaps and accelerating continuous improvement across Nigeria’s tertiary education sector”, the statement concluded.
