Covenant, UI, UNILAG lead as 29 Nigerian varsities make 2027 global rankings

Covenant University

FUNAAB considers CNG, EVs for sustainable transport, cleaner mobility

Nigeria has emerged as the most represented country in sub-Saharan Africa in the 2027 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, with 29 universities ranked up from 24 in 2026.

The development was contained in a report on the 2027 ranking prepared by the Chairman, Nigerian Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee (NiTERAC), Prof. Peter Okebukola, following the release of the rankings yesterday.

Okebukola said the 2027 edition ranked 2,297 universities across 118 countries and territories, compared with 2,191 in 2026.

MEANWHILE, the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) is exploring the adoption of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Electric Vehicles (EVs) to reduce transportation costs and promote cleaner mobility on its campus.

Okebukola said that Nigeria’s 29 ranked universities represented 42 per cent of the 69 institutions ranked across sub-Saharan Africa, while another 32 Nigerian universities were placed in the Reporter category, bringing the total number of Nigerian institutions engaging with the ranking to 61.

According to Okebukola in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja yesterday, Covenant University, the University of Ibadan (UI) and the University of Lagos (UNILAG) jointly occupied the highest Nigerian position in the 801–1000 global band.

Covenant University improved from the 1001–1200 band in 2026, while UI and UNILAG retained their positions.

He added that four other Nigerian universities, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Bayero University, Landmark University and the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), were placed in the 1001–1200 band, bringing the number of Nigerian universities in the global top 1,200 to seven.

Okebukola, a former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), noted that federal universities continued to anchor Nigeria’s performance in the upper bands.

The move was disclosed during a CNG and EV sensitisation programme organised by SYD Mega System Limited, in collaboration with the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and

National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) at the university’s NASU Secretariat.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Development, Prof. Olawale Dairo, who represented the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Babatunde Kehinde, said the university was examining ways to strengthen its transportation system through the acquisition and deployment of vehicles in partnership with strategic stakeholders.

Dairo said that collaboration among stakeholders was critical to developing practical transportation solutions capable of improving mobility while reducing the environmental impact of conventional vehicles.