- FG warns universities against misusing honorary doctorate degrees, especially for serving politicians.
- NUC says some people buy honorary titles for up to N50 million from unaccredited institutions.
- Committee identifies 32 fake degree-mill institutions, including foreign and local bodies.
- Commission vows to punish violators and restore integrity to Nigeria’s academic system.
The Federal Government has raised fresh concerns over the rising abuse of honorary doctorate degrees in Nigeria, warning universities to stop using the awards as political gifts or commercial titles.
During the submission of the report from the Committee on the Misuse of Honorary Doctorate Degrees, the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, said the trend has become a threat to the credibility of Nigerian education.
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Ribadu noted that several institutions now operate as honorary degree mills, producing unearned titles for individuals seeking prestige. He revealed that some recipients allegedly pay between N20 million and N50 million to obtain such honorary doctorate degrees, then parade themselves as academic doctors. According to him, this practice violates long-standing academic standards and amounts to misrepresentation.
He reminded universities of the Keffi Declaration of 2012, where vice-chancellors agreed to stop awarding honorary doctorate degrees to serving political office holders to avoid political patronage. Despite the policy, Ribadu lamented that many institutions still ignore the directive.
The committee’s investigation identified 32 bodies involved in fraudulent honorary degree activities, including ten unaccredited foreign universities, four unlicensed local institutions, fifteen professional bodies with no authority to award degrees, and three other non-degree-issuing organizations. He added that some of these outfits go as far as naming individuals as “professors,” further weakening the academic environment.
Ribadu warned that any institution engaged in such fraudulent practices would face penalties, stressing that the Commission is working with the National Assembly to draft a legal framework that will address the misuse of honorary doctorate degrees. He emphasized that using the title “Dr” from an honorary degree without clearly stating its honorary nature is a form of false representation, punishable under fraud laws in Nigeria.
He also reiterated that only approved universities; public or private have the legal right to award honorary doctorate degrees in Nigeria, as established by the Education Act.
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The committee’s chairman, Prof. Kabiru Bala, disclosed that only 27 out of over 312 universities in the country submitted reports. He said the panel was formed after the NUC received multiple petitions from citizens and stakeholders complaining about the misuse and commercialization of honorary doctorate degrees.
The report recommends stricter enforcement of standards and penalties for institutions breaching the regulations.
The development comes months after Ghana issued a national ban preventing individuals from publicly using honorary doctorate or professorship titles unless they are formally earned.
With the Federal Government taking a firmer stance, expectations are high that the integrity of Nigeria’s academic qualifications will be strengthened and the rampant abuse of honorary titles drastically reduced.
