As we step into 2026, Dr. Timi Olubiyi, an Entrepreneurship and Business Management expert with a Ph.D. from Babcock University, sounds a critical alarm for Nigeria's academic community. The central message is stark: where you publish matters far more than the mere act of publishing. A dangerous reliance on so-called predatory publications is crippling careers and isolating Nigerian scholarship from the global stage.
The Predatory Trap: Shortcut to Nowhere
The pressure to "publish or perish" is intense, especially for early-career researchers, contract lecturers, and those seeking promotion. This has created fertile ground for predatory journals. These outlets often appear legitimate, promising fast publication for a fee, but they compromise on quality, peer review, and ethical standards. For many Nigerian academics, they seem like a lifeline to meet local publication quotas.
However, the damage is profound. From an African perspective, this trend does more than waste money; it erodes academic credibility and creates a vicious cycle. Many Nigerian university promotion systems prioritize quantity, often failing to distinguish between indexed and non-indexed journals. Consequently, scholars publish in local, non-indexed university journals that lack global visibility.
The High Cost of Invisibility
The most painful consequence is becoming academically invisible to the world. Reputable global databases like Scopus, Web of Science, and the ABDC or ABS rankings are the currency of international academia. When a scholar's work is absent from these platforms, their research, no matter its quality, goes unseen.
Dr. Olubiyi observes a striking reality: many experienced Nigerian lecturers and professors have no Scopus profile or one with very low visibility. This invisibility leads to a systematic underestimation of their impact. When international committees evaluate candidates for jobs, fellowships, or collaborations, they see limited indexed output and may wrongly assume limited scholarly contribution.
Predatory journals actively ruin global prospects. Hiring committees in Europe, North America, and Asia recognize these outlets as red flags, questioning the rigour and ethics behind the research. Thus, an academic productive in local, non-indexed journals remains invisible—or worse, stigmatized—internationally.
Choosing the Right Path: From Local Comfort to Global Relevance
The contrast between quality and predatory publishing is clear. Quality publishing involves rigorous peer review and ethical practices, building a scholar's reputation. A single article in a reputable, indexed journal can unlock doors to international conferences, research grants, and collaborations with bodies like the African Union or World Bank.
Nigerian and Kenyan scholars who publish in respected international journals often gain invitations to review papers or join global teams. These opportunities rarely come from predatory outlets, which lack readership and trust.
The solution requires a collective shift. Academics must aim for international exposure from the start of their careers, targeting reputable journals and viewing rejection as part of scholarly growth. Universities must reform promotion criteria to reward quality and impact, not just volume. Governments and regulatory bodies should fund open-access publication in reputable journals and discourage the use of predatory outlets in evaluations.
Nigerian academia stands at a crossroads. One path offers rapid local advancement built on fragile, invisible publications. The other is more demanding but leads to global relevance, genuine mobility, and influence. For scholars seeking a place on the world stage, the choice is existential. The future depends not just on producing knowledge, but on ensuring it is seen, trusted, and travels across borders.
