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Tag: honorary doctorate degrees

  • Fed govt bans award of honorary doctorate degrees to serving officials

    Fed govt bans award of honorary doctorate degrees to serving officials

    The federal government, through the National Universities Commission (NUC), has placed a ban on the award of honorary doctorate degrees to serving public officials.

    The commission said the decision followed the alleged misuse of such degrees.

    The Executive Secretary of NUC, Professor Abdullahi Ribadu, announced the ban on Friday while receiving a report from a committee investigating the award and public use/misuse of honorary doctorate degrees by recipients in Nigeria.

    Ribadu said the Commission was compelled to act following alarming findings from a nationwide investigation into how honorary degrees are awarded and used.

    “These degrees are meant to recognise outstanding service or achievements, but unfortunately, they have increasingly been misused,” he said.

    According to Ribadu, the trend has been worsened by the rise of unaccredited and illegal institutions, both local and foreign, operating as honorary degree mills.

    Professor Ribadu explained that NUC’s investigation uncovered widespread violations, particularly of the Keffi Declaration of 2012, an agreement by Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian universities to regulate the award of honorary degrees.

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    The declaration expressly forbids universities from awarding honorary doctorates to serving public officials and cautions recipients against using the title “Dr” without proper disclosure.

    “This is not just a matter of ethics; it is a matter of law. 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,” Ribadu stated.

    He warned that misuse of honorary titles undermines the integrity of universities and diminishes public trust in genuine academic qualifications.

    According to him, the report identified 32 institutions operating as honorary degree mills in Nigeria.

    These, he said, include 10 unaccredited foreign universities, 4 unlicensed local universities, 15 professional bodies with no degree-awarding powers, and three other non-degree-awarding institutions.

    Some of these entities, the NUC revealed, even go as far as awarding fake professorships.

    Ribadu added, “Let us be clear. Awarding honorary degrees is a legal responsibility of Nigerian universities. The law empowers the NUC to regulate both the award and the use of honorary doctorate degrees in Nigeria.”

    He reiterated that only approved public or private universities are eligible to award honorary doctorate degrees.

    “Even then, recipients must use appropriate nomenclature 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 added.

  • The abuse of honorary doctorate degrees

    The abuse of honorary doctorate degrees

    • By Kayode Awojobi

    Sir: It has become both amusing and concerning to witness individuals who receive honorary doctorate degrees from obscure or questionable institutions parade themselves with an air of superiority. Many waste no time attaching the “Dr.” title to their names on social media, at public events, and even in official documents, as though they earned it through years of rigorous academic pursuit.

    Sadly, what many fail to understand is the depth of work, intellectual discipline, and personal sacrifice that genuine doctoral candidates undergo to earn a legitimate degree.

    In respected academic circles, honorary doctorate degrees are not awarded carelessly. Prestigious universities confer them sparingly, as a symbolic recognition of significant and verifiable contributions to society, whether in humanitarian services, scientific innovation, public leadership, the arts, or other impactful fields. When a reputable institution bestows a honorary doctorate, it serves as a public acknowledgment of real achievement, not a tool for self-promotion.

    Unfortunately, this noble tradition has been commercialized and debased by lesser-known or outright dubious institutions. Today, honorary degrees are frequently offered to anyone willing to pay or trade shallow publicity. This trend has not only cheapened the honour but has also misled many into believing that the title itself confers inherent prestige, regardless of how it was obtained.

    Even more troubling is how this trend has crept into religious circles. Both Christian and Islamic religious leaders are increasingly guilty of the same malpractice. Among some so-called “men of God,” unregulated theological institutions—many of which barely qualify as Bible schools, award so-called doctoral degrees after six months of superficial training. Graduates from these schools emerge flaunting titles like “Doctor of Pastoral Ministry,” deceiving their followers and the broader public. Islamic scholars, too, are not exempt from this embarrassing development.

    Academic cleansing must not be limited to conventional universities. Regulatory scrutiny should extend to religious institutions where academic titles are now being dished out casually. If those flaunting such honorary titles understood the long hours, intellectual rigour, and sacrifice required to earn a true doctorate, perhaps they would approach such titles with the humility they deserve or refrain from using them entirely.

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    The situation has grown so alarming that notable voices in the academic community have begun to speak out. Professor Ishaq Oloyede, Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), recently condemned the indiscriminate award of honorary degrees by some universities. Speaking at an investiture ceremony at the University of Ilorin, he lamented how these awards are being handed out without proper scrutiny, undermining the credibility of the academic sector.

    Interestingly, Nigeria need not look far for solutions. In Ghana, the Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) recently issued a directive banning individuals from publicly using honorary doctorate or professorial titles, warning that violators would face public exposure and potential legal action. GTEC described the practice as unethical, misleading, and damaging to the integrity of Ghana’s academic system. It emphasized that such titles should not be used to misrepresent one’s academic standing.

    Nigeria’s National Universities Commission (NUC), as the regulatory body overseeing university education in the country, must take proactive steps to address this growing menace. Its role should not be limited to course accreditation alone. The NUC should establish strict guidelines for the conferment of honorary degrees, including mandatory vetting of proposed recipients to ensure that only deserving individuals are honoured.

    Furthermore, the National Assembly should consider enacting legislation to regulate the conferment of honourary degrees, especially by institutions not directly under NUC oversight. Many politicians, businesspeople, religious leaders, and other public figures now flaunt unearned honorary titles, acquired through questionable means, without consequence. Such laws could help restore sanity and protect the sanctity of academic titles.

    If Ghana can take decisive steps to safeguard the integrity of its academic system, Nigeria certainly can and must follow suit.

    In the end, honours are meant to be earned, not bought. Let us restore the dignity and value of academic titles. Titles should reflect merit, not marketing.

    •‘Kayode Awojobi,

    Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State