The Chairman of the Nigerian Universities Ranking Advisory Committee and former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Professor Emeritus Peter Okebukola, has commended the inclusion of two Nigerian universities in the top 1,000 of the 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, Okebukola revealed that the University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos made the list, both securing an overall range score of 35.5–38.9.
“This is an improvement over the 2025 league tables where only one Nigerian university, Covenant University, was ranked among the top 1,000 and the best in Nigeria,” he stated.
He explained that the Times Higher Education ranking is based on 18 carefully calibrated performance indicators, designed to provide balanced and comprehensive comparisons trusted by students, academics, industry players, and governments worldwide.
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Okebukola also noted that THE runs several ranking schemes, including the Impact Rankings—where Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, has maintained a strong record—alongside the Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings and subject-based rankings.
“Oxford University led the pack, followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton, University of Cambridge, Harvard University and Stanford University,” Okebukola said.
He added, “Interestingly, Harvard that had maintained a consistent lead in the early years of the ranking, slipped to the fifth position and yielded to Oxford that retains the number one spot for the tenth consecutive year, driven by strong research environment score. Two Nigerian universities were ranked among the top 1,000.”
Okebukola, who also served as Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Open University of Nigeria, further broke down the rankings, disclosing that “among the top 1,200 universities are Bayero University Kano, Covenant University and Landmark University.”
“The three universities band in the same overall score range of 32.1–35.4,” he said.
He, however, observed that the number of Nigerian universities in the 1,200 category dropped slightly from four in 2025 to three in 2026, suggesting a marginal decline in performance.
In the 1,201–1,500 range, the institutions listed include Ahmadu Bello University, Federal University of Technology Minna, University of Ilorin, University of Jos, and the University of Nigeria Nsukka. Fourteen other Nigerian universities were placed in the 1500+ category.
