The National Universities Commission has issued a ban on the award of honorary doctorate degrees to serving public officials as part of a major effort to curb the growing misuse of such honours across the country.
The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, announced the measure on Friday in Abuja while receiving the report of a committee that investigated how honorary degrees are awarded and used across the country.
Ribadu said the findings were deeply troubling, noting that honorary degrees which are meant to celebrate exceptional service or achievement have increasingly been abused. He added that the problem has been fuelled by the rise of illegal and unaccredited institutions operating within and outside Nigeria as what he described as degree mills.
He explained that the investigation revealed widespread violations of the Keffi Declaration of 2012, an agreement by Vice Chancellors of Nigerian universities to regulate the award of honorary degrees. The declaration forbids universities from honouring serving public officials and cautions recipients against using the title Dr without proper clarification.
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“This is not just a matter of ethics, legally using the title Dr based on an honorary degree without clear disclosure amounts to false representation, and this is punishable under various fraud related laws in Nigeria.” he revealed.
He warned that misuse of honorary titles undermines the integrity of universities and weakens public trust in genuine academic qualifications.
According to the report, 32 institutions were identified as operating as honorary degree mills. They include 10 unaccredited foreign universities, four unlicensed local universities, 15 professional bodies with no degree awarding powers, and three other institutions that also issue fake professorships.
Ribadu stressed that only accredited public and private universities are legally permitted to award honorary doctorate degrees. Even then, recipients must use the correct description such as Doctor of Literature Honoris Causa rather than adopting the title Dr, which is reserved for holders of earned doctorates and medical professionals.
He said the Commission will strengthen enforcement to restore credibility to the higher education sector and ensure that honorary degrees remain a symbol of genuine honour.