Hope Ajayi 
ABUJA, Nigeria – The national tertiary institutions ranking will now be compulsory for universities, polytechnics and colleges of education as the Federal Government moves to strengthen accountability, improve quality and boost the global competitiveness of Nigeria’s higher education system.
Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, announced the policy on Tuesday in Abuja during a meeting with the Nigerian Universities Ranking Advisory Committee (NURAC), revealing that the national ranking framework has been expanded beyond universities to include all tertiary institutions across the country.
Alausa said the initiative forms part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), describing the ranking exercise as a key reform designed to improve institutional performance through measurable benchmarks.
“The ranking framework will strengthen quality, accountability and global competitiveness by providing institutions with clear performance indicators and identifying areas that require improvement,” the minister said.
According to Alausa, the 2026/2027 university ranking exercise will commence this month, while the advisory committee will determine the implementation timetable for polytechnics and colleges of education.
He disclosed that the Federal Government will finance the exercise through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and develop comprehensive guidelines to institutionalise the rankings as a permanent feature of Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
The minister added that vice-chancellors, rectors and provosts would be formally notified that participation is mandatory, underscoring the government’s commitment to creating a transparent and credible performance assessment framework.
Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, described the initiative as a major milestone in efforts to improve standards across Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
She said the rankings would encourage healthy competition among public and private institutions, enabling them to identify weaknesses, improve academic quality and sustain minimum operational standards.
Chairman of the committee and former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Emeritus Professor Peter Okebukola, said the committee initially proposed expanding investment in universities following the growing international recognition of Nigerian institutions.
Alausa assured stakeholders that the Ministry of Education would provide policy direction, funding and capacity-building support to ensure the credibility and sustainability of the ranking exercise.
He also pledged continued investment in institutional development and staff training, expressing confidence that the reforms would enable more Nigerian tertiary institutions to gain recognition in international rankings and compete favourably with leading institutions around the world.
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Abah Felicity 