In a major boost to its global visibility and academic reputation, five distinguished academics of Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State, have been ranked among the Top 500 Researchers in Nigeria by scholarly output, citations and research impact.
The ranking, compiled by SciVal, the research analytics platform powered by Scopus, the world’s largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature, assessed researchers based on volume of publications in Scopus-indexed journals, total citations, h-index, and recency of publications between 2022 and 2026.
The AE-FUNAI scholars on the celebrated list are: Prof. Oliver Ezechi, ranked 31st, Dr. Anadebe Valentine Chikodili, ranked 87th; and Dr. Famurewa Ademola C. ranked 399th in Nigeria. Others include: Prof. Edmund Ossai, ranked 186th and Prof. Robert Onyeneke, who was rated 483rd in Nigeria. This is a remarkable feat for a relatively young university, placing AE-FUNAI shoulder-to-shoulder with older, first-generation universities in Nigeria in terms of research productivity and influence.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Daniel Nwachukwu, while congratulating the scholars, said the achievement underscores the strategic importance of publishing in high-impact, Scopus-indexed journals. He noted that Scopus-indexation is not just about numbers; it is about quality assurance, global visibility and institutional credibility.
“When our staff publish in Scopus-indexed journals, their work becomes visible to the global academic community, attracts international citations and collaborations, and elevates the image of the individual researcher and the University. It directly impacts our Webometrics ranking, our attractiveness for grants, and the value of AE-FUNAI degree programmes,” Prof. Nwachukwu stated.
He stressed that citations and h-index, as used by SciVal, measure how much research is actually being used to solve problems by other scholars worldwide, a clear indicator of research with societal relevance.
Prof. Nwachukwu reiterated his administration’s commitment to building a new AE-FUNAI where research is not just for promotion, but for problem-solving. He assured that his administration will continue to deliberately support research that addresses local and global challenges.
“We celebrate our three outstanding academics today, but we are also charging every academic in the university to see this as a call to more rigorous, ethical and visible research. The new AE-FUNAI we are building will be known for knowledge that serves society
“The University community congratulates Prof. Ezechi, Dr. Anadebe, Prof. Ossai, Dr. Famurewa and Prof. Onyeneke for bringing honour to AE-FUNAI and projecting the University positively on the global academic map”, the Vice-Chancellor concluded.
