FG Bans Varsities from Awarding Honorary Doctorate Degrees to Serving Public Officials

FG Bans Varsities from Awarding Honorary Doctorate Degrees to Serving Public Officials

In a decisive move aimed at restoring integrity to Nigeria’s higher education system, the Federal Government, through the National Universities Commission (NUC), has announced a ban on universities awarding honorary doctorate degrees to serving public officials.

The announcement was made by the Executive Secretary of the NUC, Professor Abdullahi Ribadu, following the submission of a committee report investigating the misuse of honorary degrees across the country.

Professor Ribadu explained that honorary doctorates are traditionally meant to recognize outstanding service or achievements in society.

However, recent investigations revealed that these titles have increasingly been misused, often serving as tools of political patronage or personal aggrandizement rather than genuine recognition.

The findings highlighted widespread violations of the 2012 Keffi Declaration, which explicitly forbids universities from conferring honorary doctorates on serving public officials. The declaration also cautions recipients against using the title “Dr” without proper disclosure, as doing so amounts to false representation under Nigerian law.

The investigation uncovered 32 institutions operating as “honorary degree mills.” These included 10 unaccredited foreign universities, four unlicensed local universities, 15 professional bodies without degree-awarding powers, and three other non-degree-awarding institutions.

Some of these entities were even found to confer fake professorships, further undermining the credibility of Nigeria’s academic system.

Ribadu stressed that awarding honorary degrees is a legal responsibility reserved for accredited Nigerian universities, and only approved public or private institutions are eligible to confer such honors.

The NUC emphasized that recipients of honorary doctorates must adopt correct designations such as “Doctor of Literature (Honoris Causa)” rather than the title “Dr,” which is reserved for holders of earned doctorates and medical professionals. 

Ribadu warned that misrepresentation of honorary titles could attract penalties under fraud-related laws in Nigeria.

This policy shift underscores the government’s commitment to curbing academic malpractice and protecting the sanctity of Nigeria’s educational institutions.

By enforcing stricter regulations, the NUC aims to ensure that honorary degrees remain symbols of genuine achievement rather than instruments of political or social manipulation.