Alvan Ikoku: 63-Year Legacy Opens New Frontiers in Research, Global Standing By Einstein Chukwu
Alvan Ikoku: 63-Year Legacy Opens New Frontiers in Research, Global Standing
By Einstein Chukwu
Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education (AIFUE), Owerri, may be a new university by legal classification, but its 63-year institutional history gives it the experience and manpower to compete with older universities nationally and globally, Professor Chinedum Nwajiuba has said.
Nwajiuba, Representative of the South-East on the National Universities Ranking Advisory Committee (NURAC) and former Vice-Chancellor of Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike (AE-FUNAI), made the assertion while presenting a paper titled, “Ranking and the NRF: The Old but Young Woman”, at AIFUE, Owerri.
He described the institution as “the young but old woman”, drawing an analogy from the celebrated ambiguous optical illusion in which one image can simultaneously be perceived as a young woman and an old woman.
According to him, the young woman represents AIFUE as a university looking into the future with “enthusiasm, excitement, and prospects”, while the old woman reflects the institution’s long history, experience and institutional heritage as a college of education.
L-R: Prof. Chinenye Udeze, DVC Administration; Prof. Stella Ngozi Lemchi, Vice-Chancellor, AIFUE; Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba; and Prof. Michael Ajileye, DVC Academic
Nwajiuba noted that although AIFUE was founded as a university in 2023 and is currently listed as the 60th among 77 federal universities, its institutional history dates back to 1963. He added that the institution had also been awarding Bachelor of Education degrees in affiliation with the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, since 1984. “In reality AIFUE is much matured than the date she became listed as a university: The Young but Old Woman,” he said.
He argued that the institution’s history, academic manpower and postgraduate capacity should position it to compete effectively in both national university rankings and the TETFund National Research Fund (NRF).
Nwajiuba said the Federal Government had directed tertiary institutions across the country, including federal, state and private universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, to participate in the national annual ranking platform.
He explained that the development had expanded the mandate of NURAC, with the committee now operating as the Nigeria Tertiary Education Ranking Committee (NiTERAC).
“For this year, 2026, NiTERAC will focus on the universities, something we had done in the past, while for the polytechnics and colleges of education, we will have to work out modalities for that,” he said.
He disclosed that work was already in progress with Directors of Academic Planning to deliver the 2026 ranking exercise, stressing that the process was based on agreed Nigerian parameters, with institutions generating and validating the data. “This is very transparent and democratic,” he said.
Nwajiuba said university rankings had become an important feature of modern higher education, stressing that institutions could no longer afford to operate as though their relevance ended within their immediate environment. “Global university rankings have come to stay and if you are a university worth its name and operating in this universe, you should not be dragging your feet about it,” he said. “You should not be minimizing yourself from the universe to the province. A university driven by excellence and integrity must aspire universally.”
Prof. Nwajiuba identified global rankings by bodies such as QS, Times Higher Education (THE), the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) and Webometrics as important measures through which universities are assessed internationally.
He said rankings could influence students’ choices, the movement of academics, funding opportunities, partnerships and employers’ perceptions of graduates.
Using the July 2026 Webometrics ranking as an illustration, Nwajiuba said the University of Ibadan led Nigerian universities at 1,291 globally, followed by the University of Lagos at 1,355 and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, at 1,397.
He urged AIFUE to improve its digital visibility, particularly the web presence of its academic staff, because Webometrics independently assesses university web presence rather than relying primarily on data supplied by institutions. “What should you do? Improve the web presence of your academics,” he said.
“We should not be among those whose professors and lecturers are not known outside their universities, villages, churches and beer parlors. We should not be numbered among academics who a simple Google search shows nothing.”
The former vice-chancellor also challenged Nigerian universities to intensify their efforts towards breaking into the global top 1,000. According to him, only the University of Ibadan and University of Lagos appeared in the global top 1,000 in the 2026 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, both falling within the 801–1000 band.
He said the gap between Nigerian universities and the world’s leading institutions remained substantial, urging universities to understand the indicators and weightings used by individual ranking organizations and develop deliberate strategies to improve their performance.
Turning to the TETFund National Research Fund, Nwajiuba raised concerns over AIFUE’s research funding record, noting that the institution did not secure an NRF grant in either 2024 or 2025.
Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba with the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Stella Ngozi Lemchi.
Nwajiuba also expressed concern over the overall performance of South-East institutions, citing low application levels and relatively few successful applications despite the region’s academic potential. He said the region needed greater sensitization and encouragement for universities, polytechnics and colleges of education to compete more aggressively for research funding.
Giving the 2025 South-East performance, he said the region secured eight of the 26 approved Cross-Cutting (CC) NRF proposals, with the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) accounting for six, while David Nweze Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences (DUFUHS), Uburu, and Abia State University, Uturu, secured one each.
He described the performance as above the benchmark of 4.3. The picture was different in Humanities and Social Sciences, where only three of the 39 approved proposals came from the South-East, with Nnamdi Azikiwe University securing two and Enugu State University of Science and Technology one.
With a benchmark of seven, Nwajiuba described the region’s performance in the category as “miserable” and asked: “Where are the southeast universities that should be strong in the humanities and social sciences?” He further urged AIFUE’s management and academics to see the ranking and NRF challenges as opportunities to demonstrate the depth of its institutional heritage and academic capacity.
Nwajiuba, who also serves on multiple TETFund NRF committees, encouraged the university community to participate in the Second TETFund National Research Fair and Exhibition 2026.
He expressed confidence in the ability of the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ngozi Stella Lemchi, and the institution’s Director of Academic Planning to position AIFUE for stronger performance. “I know that your DAP and Vice-Chancellor are capable of driving AIFUE, and announcing the arrival of this Young but Old Woman,” he said.
Biology Department Honours Best Graduating Students, Top Entrepreneur
The Department of Biology, Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education (AIFUE), Owerri, on Monday, 24th August 2026, honored its Best Graduating Students from 2022 to 2026 and named its Best Student Entrepreneur for 2026.The Head of Department, Dr. Kalu Ukpai, said the ceremony was organized to recognize students who distinguished themselves through academic and entrepreneurial excellence.
Six students received the Best Graduating Student Award in Education/Biology. The 2022 prize went to Madueke Chinonso Jennifer; the 2023 winner was Obijiaku Favour Chidimma; while Anueyiagu Joseph Izuchukwu won for 2024. Enyime Chioma Vivian was the 2025 Best Graduating Student, while 2026 produced two winners – Nwokei Precious Chioma and Ejike Priscillia Chiamaka. Nwokei was from the Plant Science group while Ejike came from the Zoology cohort.
The Best Student Entrepreneur Award for 2026 went to Abubakar Aisha Zuma, founder of Aisha Zuma Collection, a modest fashion brand. She emerged winner after several elimination rounds.
The event sponsor, Dr. Osita Ivans Ugwuoti, awarded ₦100,000 to each Best Graduating Student and ₦500,000 to the Best Student Entrepreneur, bringing the total disbursement to ₦1,100,000.
Dr. Ugwuoti also pledged to pay the tuition fees of any of the awardees who proceed to postgraduate studies in any federal university in Nigeria.
While presenting the entrepreneur award, Dr. Sam Efughi, Director of the AIFUE Entrepreneurship Centre, told students that "the world is speedily going entrepreneurial" and urged them to become job creators. "It is no longer a matter of what one studied or the certificate, but what one can create," he said. "Be job providers rather than job seekers after school."
The Best Graduating Student Award is now in its 12th edition. The last ceremony was held in 2021. To cover the gap between 2022 and 2026, the Department honored six students this year, including the duo from 2026. The Department also announced that the Best Student Entrepreneur Award is in its second edition, recalling that the first edition was won in 2022 by Onyedimma Confidence Chioma.