OAU rated best in Nigeria, 8th in Africa

OAU rose from the 14th position to eight
best university in Africa.
Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-
Ife, Osun State , has been rated the best
university in Nigeria and the eighth in
Africa in the latest webometric ranking.
This was contained in the university’s
news bulletin issued on Tuesday, quoting
the new Webometric rating by Cybermetric
Lab of Spain, a world-renowned research
council.
The publication stated that the council
rated OAU higher on the ladder from
number 14 to eight in Africa.
It also confirmed the university’s
academic excellence and intellectual
supremacy, saying this was the first time
that a Nigerian university would be so
ranked consecutively.
“This is a development that academic
analysts and management of universities
in Africa have hailed as a monumental
leap for educational advancement in
Nigeria,” it stated.
Reacting, the institution’s Vice-
Chancellor, Professor Bamitale Omole,
attributed the giant strides recorded by
his administration to unparalleled
research output, administrative acumen
as well as technical competence of the
staff .
Mr. Omole added that only a focused
leadership, the hallmark of his
management team , could produce such a
feat. He commended the dedication to
duty of all stakeholders in making sure
that the ideas of the founding fathers of
the university became a reality.
The vice-chancellor urged the Federal
Government not to relent in its efforts to
improve on the funding of education.
Mr. Omole said adequate funding would
ensure that “the increased penchant for
travelling abroad to undergo academic
programmes that could be taught better
by our lecturers here in Nigeria would be
a thing of the past.’’