[Education] Top 10 Best Universities in Nigeria 2018

1. University of Ibadan 

The University of Ibadan was established in 1947. Initially, it was a College under the University of London. The college started with academic programmes in Arts, Science and Medicine.
However, it became a full-fledged independent University in 1962 and the institution has grown since then to include academic programmes in 13 faculties which include:

• Arts,
• Science,
• Basic Medical Sciences,
• Clinical Sciences,
• Agriculture and Forestry,
• Social Sciences,
• Education,
• Veterinary Medicine,
• Pharmacy,
• Technology,
• Law,
• Public Health and
• Dentistry

The Faculties of the Basic Medical Sciences, Clinical Sciences, Public Health and Dentistry are a part of the University’s College of Medicine.


Also, the university has academic units. Some of which include:

• Institute of Child Health,
• Institute of Education,
• Institute of African Studies,
• Centre for Child Adolescent and
• Mental Health,
• Centre for Educational Media Resource Studies,
• African Regional Centre for Information Science (ARCIS),
• Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (CEPACS),
• Centre for Petroleum, Energy, Economics and Law (CPEEL),
• Centre for Sustainable Development (CESDEV), and
• Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI),
• Institute for Advanced Medical Research and Training (IAMRAT),
• Centre for Drug Discovery, Development & Production (CDDDP),
• Centre for Control & Prevention of Zoonosis (CCPZ).

Currently, the UI hosts the Pan African University Life & Earth Sciences Institute on behalf of the West African Subregion. The programme is in its 2nd year and has 97 students from all over Africa.

2. University of Nigeria, Nsukka

The University of Nigeria was founded by Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe in 1955. However, the school was formally opened on the 7th of October 1960.
UNN as it is popularly called is made up of four campuses

• Nsukka (University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN),
• Enugu (University of Nigeria Enugu campus, UNEC),
• Ituku-Ozalla (University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, UNTH) and
• Aba (University of Nigeria Aba campus, UNAC).

UNN is the first autonomous university in the country. Currently, the University has 15 Faculties and 102 academic departments. Also, the University offers 82 undergraduate and 211 postgraduate programmes.

The initial enrolment at UNN was 220 students with 13 academic staff members. The classes commenced on the 17th of October, 1960.
The vice Chancellor of UNN has a burning desire to create a smart university and this led to the Roar Nigeria Hub which is one of the full-fledged universities embedded ICT Hub in West Africa. The hub is a private sector initiative which is been supervised by two engineering graduates of the university.
Some of the notable alumni from UNN include:

• Godwin Emefiele
• Okechukwu Enelamah
• Charles Soludo (CBN Governor, 2004 -2009)
• Herbert Wigwe (CEO, Access Bank)
• Dora Akunyili
• Pat Utomi
• Peter Odili
• Peter Obi

3. University of Lagos

Established in 1962, the University of Lagos is one of the top universities in the country.
Popularly called UNILAG, the university has 3 campuses located in Akoka, Yaba, and Surulere.
UNILAG started with 131 students and has grown to over 40,000 students. The university staff strength is 3,365. There are 12 faculties:

• Arts
• Basic Medical Science
• Business Administration
• Clinical Sciences
• Dental Sciences
• Education
• Engineering
• Environmental Science
• Law
• Pharmacy,
• Science
• Social Science

The University of Lagos is known as UNILAG and it is known as the University of First Choice and the Nation’s Pride.

Also, the University has 2 centres:

• Centre for Human Rights
• Centre for African Regional Integration and Borderland Studies

The university also has a Distance Learning Institute offers courses in Accounting, Business Administration, Science Education and Library Information Services.

4. Obafemi Awolowo University      

Formerly known as the University of Ife, Obafemi Awolowo University was established in 1962.
The university is one of the largest in the country in terms of land mass. It covers a land expanse of 11,862 hectares.

Due to this land area, the university has one central campus along with its students’ residential area, staff quarters as well as a teaching and research farm.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the University was known as one of the foremost universities in Africa.
The University has produced a NobelLaureate as well as several National Merit Award winners.
OAU also houses several government parastatals which include:

• The Centre for Energy Research and Development(CERD)
• The National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM)
• The African Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education- English (ARC SSTE-E)
• The United Nations Regional Centre for Training in Aerospace Survey(RECTAS)

The vision of the University is to be one of the top rated universities in Africa, that is, the technological flagship of the West African sub-region, as evidenced by its application of modern technology to teaching, research and community service, and its provision of practical solutions to social, cultural and economic problems.

5. Covenant University

Covenant University is arguably the best private university in the country. The university was set up in 2000 with the vision to become the leading world-class Christian Mission University.


However, the university didn’t start until March 2002 when the Federal Government presented the institution with the licensing certificate to operate as a Private University.
The approval by the National Universities Commission (NUC) was reputed to be the fastest in the history of the 16 applications for the establishment of private universities filed with the NUC.

The University was founded by the Bishop of the Living Faith Church as a part of the Liberation Commission.
Covenant University is built around the following core-values: Spirituality, Possibility Mentality, Capacity Building, Integrity, Responsibility, Diligence and Sacrifice.
The University intends to revolutionize the educational landscape using the platform of Christian ethos and life transforming values

According to the founder, Dr David Oyedepo, the objective of the University is to transform her products, that is, her graduates as, into expert thinkers, unusual managers, and hyper-resourceful technocrats in all fields of human endeavour.