By Tunji Oladejo
There is something deeply reassuring about seeing Nigeria’s name climb on a global academic list. The 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings and the Sub-Saharan Africa Rankings show 24 Nigerian universities on the global table, up from 21 in the past two years.
Nigeria is now the most represented country in Sub-Saharan Africa. That is not a fluke. It was the result of deliberate effort and institutional discipline and now the industry is beginning to meet international standards.*
At the centre of this story is the University of Ibadan. UI has not had a one-year surge. It has been consistent. For the past 13 years, which started under Professor Isaac Folorunso Adewole, FAS as the VC and Professor Abel Idowu Olayinka as the DVC (Academic), and later VC, the 12th, and now Prof. Kayode Adebowale, mni, FAS, UI has maintained a first-class ranking nationally, regionally and internationally.
Consistency is harder than a breakthrough. It means research is steady, faculty are producing, quality assurance is working; and the institution is able to compete even when funding is tight. For students across West Africa and beyond, UI has become a reference point. For Nigeria, it is proof that we can build and sustain a world-class university.
The Federal Ministry of Education deserves to be commended for this progress and Minister Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa has done it with clarity. He described the rankings as evidence that reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda are yielding measurable results.
When 17 of the ranked institutions are federal universities and when public universities are resurging alongside strong private ones like Covenant and Landmark, it suggests the reforms are touching the sector broadly. The performance of Bayero University, Kano demonstrates that academic excellence extends beyond a single corridor in the country. It is spreading.
President Tinubu set a reform tone that prioritises accountability and global benchmarking. Dr. Alausa has given that tone operational meaning. The fact that 27 additional Nigerian universities submitted data for assessment this year is itself important.
A system that embraces measurement is preparing for improvement. The Minister is right: these rankings are more than numbers. They provide credible international validation that teaching, research and innovation are becoming stronger.
But let us be honest about what the rankings are also telling us. They are a mirror. They show potential, not arrival.
Despite facing significant constraints, UI has achieved more than a decade of excellence. Lecture theatres are overcrowded. Laboratories need upgrading. Power and broadband are unreliable on many campuses.
Most importantly, our staff and students are under immense pressure. You cannot ask scholars to produce globally competitive research while they worry about salaries, allowances and basic research support. You cannot ask students to excel when hostels are inadequate and learning tools are scarce.
If we want this momentum to last, funding must match ambition. UI should not have to carry Nigeria’s reputation on goodwill alone. We should extend special treatment to ABU, UNILAG, BUK, and any other institution currently demonstrating promise.
What is needed is targeted, sustained investment. First, in staff: competitive remuneration, research grants and opportunities for collaboration will retain talent and draw back scholars from the diaspora. Second, for students: more hostels, functional labs, stable power, campus-wide broadband; and scholarships that keep bright young people in school.
Third, in research and infrastructure: innovation hubs, modern equipment, digitised libraries and partnerships with industry that turn knowledge into impact. THE rankings reward exactly these things: citations, collaboration and knowledge transfer.
The Renewed Hope Agenda has opened the door. Dr. Alausa’s leadership has shown that governance and measurement can change outcomes. Now is the time to resource the results. A performance-linked increase in funding for federal and state universities will turn a ranking surge into a permanent shift.
UI has given Nigeria more than ten years of first-class consistency. Tinubu and Alausa have given the sector renewed direction and credibility. The next move is to fund the work. Support the staff. Equip the students. Back the institutions.
Nigeria is rising in the rankings. With the right investment, we can not only maintain our current position; we can also lead, showcasing our strength and endless possibilities.
*Tunji Oladejo, mnipr, JP, MANUPA, mspsp, writes from the University of Ibadan; is the Chairman of The Progressive Forum, Ibadan (TPFI); and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Bayo and Bimpe Oyero Foundation (BBOF) and the 2026 Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII) Icon of Ibadan Heritage Awardee via oladejo65@gmail.com. 08077284442