The new webometric ranking released today, Monday, 5th August, 2013, by the Cybermetrics Lab of Spain (a world-renowned Research Council) and circulated round the world, moved Obafemi Awolowo University higher on the ladder from number 14 to number 8 in Africa. This is a development that academic analysts and managements of universities in Africa have hailed as a monumental leap for educational advancement in Nigeria. This is the first time that a Nigerian University would be so ranked consecutively.
It would be recalled that Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, was, early this year, rated by the Cybermetrics Lab of Spain as the first and the best University in Nigeria and 14th in Africa before the new webometric ranking that was released today.
Reacting, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Bamitale Omole, attributed the giant strides recorded by his administration to the unparalleled research output, administrative acumen, technical know-how of the academic, administrative and technical staff of the University, adding that only a focused leadership, which is the hallmark of his management team, can produce such a spectacular feat.
Professor Bamitale Omole, then applauded the dedication to duty of all stakeholders in making sure that the ideals of the founding fathers of OAU become a reality in its entirety. He urged the Federal Government not to relent in its efforts to improve the funding of education, particularly for the universities, so 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.
