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Daily Trust’s infographic on Nigeria’s top 20 universities is misleading

Nurudeen Akewushola
Nurudeen Akewushola
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A VIRAL infographic shared by Daily Trust claims to show the top 20 Nigerian universities following the release of the prestigious 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings.

According to the infographic shared across social media, Afe Babalola University, Covenant University, and Redeemer’s University are Nigeria’s top three universities, ahead of the University of Lagos and University of Ibadan.

The graphic has been widely shared on social media, with many Universities like Al-Hikmah University, Kwara State celebrating their purported emergence as top 20 Universities in this year’s ranking.

CLAIM

The infographic shows the top 20 Nigerian universities in the 2026 Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

screenshot of the viral infographics

FINDINGS

Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING.

The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings assess research-intensive universities across the world using internationally recognised performance indicators covering teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.

It recently released its 2026 World University Rankings, in which 24 Nigerian universities secured places in the global and Sub-Saharan Africa rankings, the highest representation by any country in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Ranking University Ranking University
1 University of Ibadan 13 Ekiti State University
2 University of Lagos 14 Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta
3 Bayero University Kano 15 Federal University of Technology, Akure
4 Covenant University 16 Federal University of Technology, Owerri
5 Landmark University 17 Federal University Oye-Ekiti
6 Ahmadu Bello University 18 Ladoke Akintola University of Technology
7 Federal University of Technology, Minna 19 Lagos State University
8 University of Ilorin 20 Nnamdi Azikiwe University
9 University of Jos 21 Obafemi Awolowo University
10 University of Nigeria, Nsukka 22 University of Benin
11 Babcock University 23 University of Calabar
12 Delta State University, Abraka 24 University of Port Harcourt

Source: 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings

However, checks by The FactCheckHub show that the infographic published by Daily Trust does not accurately reflect the official rankings.

According to the official 2026 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the University of Ibadan is Nigeria’s highest-ranked university, followed by the University of Lagos and Bayero University, Kano. Covenant University ranks after these institutions, contrary to the infographic, which places Afe Babalola University, Covenant University, and Redeemer’s University as Nigeria’s top three universities.

The official rankings show that Nigeria’s 24 ranked institutions comprise 17 federal universities, three state universities and four private universities, reflecting the country’s growing presence in global higher education.

Contrary to what was in the infographics, universities like Al-Hikmah University, Godfrey Okoye University, Mariam Abacha University are not among the top 24 Universities on the list.

Reacting to the latest rankings, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, described the achievement as a significant milestone for Nigeria’s higher education sector, saying it demonstrates the impact of ongoing reforms aimed at improving teaching, research, innovation and global competitiveness.

VERDICT

The claim that infographic represents the 2026 Times Higher Education World University Ranking is MISLEADING. The official rankings place the University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, and Bayero University, Kano as Nigeria’s top-ranked universities, not Afe Babalola University, Covenant University, and Redeemer’s University as claimed.

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Nurudeen Akewushola is a fact-checker with FactCheckHub. He has authored several fact checks which have contributed to the fight against information disorder. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 via Twitter.

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