President Muhammadu Buhari has joined Founder and Chancellor of Afe Babalola University (ABUAD), Ado-Ekiti, its management, and staff in celebrating the varsity’s ranking as the best in Nigeria.

The ranking institution, the Times Higher Education World Rankings also ranked ABUAD as the 400th best in the world.

The president noted the visionary and scholarly leadership style that had continued to shape the curriculum, operations, and results of ABUAD since it was established 12 years ago.

In a congratulatory message issued by his spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, on Monday in Abuja, President Buhari lauded the university’s guiding principles of discipline, industry, determination, service, integrity, sound education, and quality leadership.

According to the president, the Times Higher Education World Rankings further validates the resourcefulness of hardworking academics, particularly in research, and the diligence of students, who continuously stretched their bodies and minds to make history.

Buhari noted with interest the fact that the ranking analyzed more than 108 million citations across more than 14.4 million research publications in arriving at ABUAD’s placement.

He noted that this included responses from about 22,000 scholars, showing the depth, acceptability, and influence of ABUAD’s placement as the best out of 197 universities in Nigeria and one of 400 out of 31,097 universities in the world.

President Buhari appreciated the honor brought to Nigeria by ABUAD, urging it to explore the same focus and doggedness to lift the university to be among the top 50 in the world.

President Buhari congratulated the chancellor for facilitating resources and for channeling energies and assembling exemplary staff at ABUAD.