Nigerian Professor Says Funding and Infrastructure Gaps Hold Back University Rankings

Arise News reported that Professor Olunifesi Adekunle Suraj, speaking in a Saturday interview on the broadcaster, called for better infrastructure and more funding so that Nigerian universities can rise in global rankings ^[1]. Suraj lectures at the University of Lagos and is Global Co-Lead of the UNESCO University Network for Media and Information Literacy ^[1]. He described the growing number of globally ranked Nigerian universities as positive, but said that progress should be considered alongside persistent structural deficiencies in the university system ^[1].

Where he located the gap

Suraj compared Nigeria's standing across several areas of university performance ^[1]. He said Nigeria ranks high on teaching but fell in two areas: the research environment and industrial collaboration ^[1]. Those were the two areas, in his account, that would have carried Nigeria further had they been stronger ^[1]. He also named research and research outputs as areas where Nigerian institutions must aim very high compared with top universities ^[1].

On funding, he said: "When it comes to funding, Nigeria is not there. I'm telling you the truth." ^[1] He noted that academics need resources both to conduct research and to travel for academic work, and said that without that money, thorough research cannot be done ^[1].

Infrastructure, repositories and expansion

Suraj called for repairing the infrastructure of universities, and said the condition of facilities remains an important issue as institutions try to compete internationally ^[1]. He paired that with a call for greater investment in digital repositories so that Nigerian research data can be seen, describing the aim as adding visibility ^[1].

He also connected the expansion of the university system to the need for more funding ^[1]. He warned that creating more institutions without adequately supporting existing ones could stretch available resources further ^[1].

On governance, he said the government must improve transparency in how funds intended for university development are managed ^[1]. He named TETFund specifically, saying that if it were well managed, Nigeria would be in a far better position on funding than it is today ^[1].

Why it matters to research administrators

For readers who manage research offices, grant portfolios or institutional reporting, the interview offers a researcher's account of where Nigerian universities stand: Suraj set the rise in the number of ranked institutions against what he called persistent structural deficiencies in the system ^[1]. He placed teaching on the strong side and the research environment and industrial collaboration on the weak side ^[1]. The remedies he named span research funding, facility repairs, digital repositories and transparency in the management of university development funds ^[1].

Two of his arguments concern how research is resourced and made visible ^[1]. His case for repositories was framed around making research data visible, and his case on expansion concerned how limited resources are shared between new and existing institutions ^[1].

What to watch

• Any government response to his call for greater transparency in managing university development funds, including TETFund ^[1].
• Whether investment in digital repositories, which he proposed as a way to increase the visibility of Nigerian research, gains support ^[1].
• Whether discussion of creating new universities takes up his warning about adequately supporting existing institutions ^[1].
• Whether the research environment and industrial collaboration, the two areas where he said Nigeria fell, receive attention in funding and policy discussions ^[1].