The Federal Government has banned the award of honorary doctorate degrees to serving public officials, following what it describes as the widespread misuse and abuse of such titles across the country.
The decision was announced on Friday in Abuja by the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, while receiving the report of a committee set up to investigate the award and public misuse of honorary degrees in Nigeria.
Ribadu said the Commission was compelled to impose stricter regulations after uncovering alarming trends during a nationwide investigation into how honorary degrees are conferred and used.
“These degrees are meant to recognise outstanding service and achievements, but unfortunately, they have increasingly been misused,” he said.
According to him, the rise of unaccredited and illegal institutions both local and foreign has worsened the trend, with many operating as honorary degree mills and awarding titles indiscriminately.
Ribadu revealed that the investigation documented widespread violations of the Keffi Declaration of 2012, an agreement by Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian universities to regulate the conferment of honorary doctorates.
The declaration specifically prohibits the award of honorary degrees to serving public officials and warns recipients against using the title “Dr” without proper disclosure.
“This is not just a matter of ethics; it is a matter of law,” he said.
“Using the title ‘Dr’ based on an honorary degree without clarification amounts to false representation, which is punishable under various fraud-related laws in Nigeria.”
He warned that the misuse of such titles undermines the integrity of Nigerian universities and devalues genuine academic qualifications.
The committee’s report identified 32 institutions currently operating as honorary degree mills. These include:
10 unaccredited foreign universities
4 unlicensed local universities
15 professional bodies with no degree-awarding powers
3 other non-degree awarding institutions
Some of these entities, the Commission said, even go as far as awarding fake professorships.
Ribadu reiterated that the authority to award honorary doctorates rests solely with approved public and private universities.
Even then, recipients must use appropriate nomenclature such as Doctor of Literature (Honoris Causa) and are not permitted to adopt the prefix “Dr”, which is reserved for holders of earned doctoral degrees and medical professionals.
Further details are expected from the NUC as implementation of the new policy begins nationwide.
