US Body Ranks ABUAD Best Nigerian Varsity

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

A Washington DC, United States-based Times Higher Education Impact Rankings (THEIR) has rated Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Ekiti State, as the best university in Nigeria and one of the best 400 globally.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings, respected worldwide by students, teachers, governments and industry experts, is focused on “helping the world universities to achieve excellence.”

THEIR looks at performance indicators that measure an institution’s performance across four key areas of teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.

The news was contained in a letter dated April 27, 2022, and titled: ‘2022 The Impact Rankings’ by former National Universities Commission(NUC), Executive Secretary, Prof. Peter Okebukola, and addressed to ABUAD’s Vice Chancellor, Prof Smaranda Olarinde.

In his letter, Okebukola said: “The 2022 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings (measured against the SDGs) were released today. The top three universities are first, Afe Babalola University; second, Covenant University; and third is the University of Ibadan.

“Our NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, congratulates the universities and entreats that we should strive to get many more Nigerian universities in the top 200 in the next few years.

“By our strategic plan for 2022-2030, the Nigeria Universities Ranking Advisory Committee (NURAC) will work with all universities in the system to ensure that we are no pushover on the global league tables from 2023.”

Reacting to the news, ABUAD’s acting VC, Prof. Olarinde, attributed the uncommon feat to the cooperation which the university has received from the NUC, Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), Council for Legal Education, and the Nigerian Society of Engineers among others.

Olarinde expressed joy that global organisations outside Nigeria are following ABUAD’s achievements with keen interest since it commenced academic works on January 4, 2010

The university boss thanked the parents and other well-wishers who have inundated her and the university with congratulatory messages on the monumental achievement.