How Nigerian Private Universities Stand in the Global Covid-19 Research Publication Game

Both academics and professionals are expected to contribute to the containment and management of Covid-19. Academic leaders are among the critical leaders needed for a proper understanding of the disease in terms of its interaction with human and non-living things. This is expected to be done through researches and community outreach. According to our analyst, the outreach is usually planned and executed within the outcomes of the researches.

Since 2019, academic researchers in the medical and non-medical fields have been conducting researches on various issues around the disease. In most cases, attention has been paid to the discovery of vaccines by the clinical or medical researchers. Researchers in the social science field have equally contributed publications that could help stakeholders in containing and managing the disease. This has largely been done from the awareness, attitude and behaviour perspectives.

In all these situations, like their counterparts in the public higher education sector, private universities in Nigeria have also contributed to the global conversation on Covid-19 using their research resources, especially publications in national and international journals, books, monographs and clinical trial reports.

Nigerian Private Universities Contribute 156 Publications to Global Covid-19 Research in 14 Months

In the previous analysis, our analyst reported that institutions in Nigeria contributed 1,634 publications to the global publications of over 300,000 from 196 countries between December 6, 2019 and February 7, 2021. Out of 1,634 publications from Nigeria, analysis indicates that private universities had 156 publications, representing 9.54%.

In 14 months and 7 days of the global publications, it emerged that Covenant University led other private universities in Nigeria with 20.51% of the 156 publications from the universities. With 8.97% of the publications, the Landmark University followed Covenant University.

According to our analysis, these universities are the only universities that occupied first and second positions conveniently during the period of the publications.  Though, Joseph Ayo Babalola University and Afe Babalola University had 5.77% and 3.85% of the publications, which made them distinctive among others, they failed to occupy the first three positions. Bowen University appears on the research table twice. It appears as an academic institution and also as a hospital institution [see Exhibit 1].

Exhibit 1: Institutions and Publications [Frequency and Percent]

Our check further reveals that Covenant University’s researchers explored different aspects of the diseases in their researches.  This is also applicable to the researchers at the Landmark University. Our analyst found that academics from the Computer Science, Agriculture, and Biochemistry, Medicinal Biochemistry, Infectious Diseases, Nanomedicine & Toxicology Departments contributed to the University’s publications. Analysis also reveals that Ajayi Crowther University, Obong University, Renaissance University, Godfrey Okoye University, Wellspring University, Al-Qalam University Katsina, Paul University, Western Delta University, Caleb University, Bells University of Technology and Igbinedion University had one publication each, making them to occupy the last position [see Exhibit 2].

Exhibit 2: Rankings of Contribution

In our analysis of the research competition, Covenant, Landmark, Joseph Ayo Babalola and Afe Babalola Universities edged out the others from occupying the first, second, fourth and sixth positions and pushed them to third, fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth positions. Redeemer’s University and Nile University of Nigeria jointly occupied the third position.

Exhibit 3: Rank versus Institution Presence

Babcock University and Adeleke University occupied fifth position, while Fountain University and Lead City University slugged it out and both retained the seventh position. The eighth position was jointly occupied by Pan-Atlantic University, Bowen University Teaching Hospital and Bingham University. McPherson University, Crescent University, Salem University and Bowen University occupied the ninth position. With the contribution of two publications each, Novena University, Caritas University, Elizade University, Baze University and Al-Hikmah University occupied tenth position.