The Federal Government has stopped universities from awarding honorary doctorate degrees to serving public officials following an NUC investigation into widespread abuses.
The Federal Government has banned universities from awarding honorary doctorate degrees to serving public officials, according to a report from LEADERSHIP NEWSPAPERS. The National Universities Commission (NUC) announced the decision after receiving findings from a committee investigating the award and misuse of honorary degrees in Nigeria.
The Executive Secretary of the NUC, Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, said in Abuja on Friday that the Commission was compelled to intervene after a nationwide probe revealed alarming misuse of such titles. He noted that “these degrees are meant to recognise outstanding service or achievements, but unfortunately, they have increasingly been misused.” Ribadu added that the rise of unaccredited and illegal institutions, both local and foreign, has worsened the trend.
According to the report, the NUC uncovered widespread violations of the Keffi Declaration of 2012, an agreement among Vice-Chancellors forbidding universities from awarding honorary doctorates to serving public officials and warning recipients against using the title “Dr” without clarification. Ribadu stressed that misusing honorary titles “is not just a matter of ethics; it is a matter of law,” adding that false representation is punishable under fraud-related statutes.
The investigation identified 32 institutions operating as honorary degree mills, including 10 unaccredited foreign universities, 4 unlicensed local universities, 15 professional bodies, and 3 non-degree-awarding institutions, some of which also award fake professorships.
He reiterated that only approved universities may award honorary doctorates, and recipients must use proper nomenclature such as Honoris Causa.