NUC Uncovers 32 Fake Honorary Degree Varsities, Seeks New Law
NUC Uncovers 32 Fake Honorary Degree Varsities, Seeks New Law
Kuni Tyessi in Abuja
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has uncovered 32 institutions involved in the illegal and unethical award of honorary doctorate degrees, vowing tough sanctions to protect the integrity of Nigeria’s higher education system.
The 32 violators include 10 foreign universities, four unlicensed local universities, 15 professional bodies without degree-awarding powers, and three other institutions not authorised to confer academic titles.
Executive Secretary of the Commission, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja yesterday while lamenting the growing abuse of honorary degrees by both awarding institutions and recipients.
Ribadu’s remarks followed the presentation of a report by a committee set up by the Commission to investigate Awards and Public Misuse of Honorary Doctorate Degrees by Recipients.
The NUC boss reiterated the ban on the award of honorary Doctorate Degrees to public office holders, warning that until they are out of office no public official qualifies for the honors.
He noted that the violations cut across federal, state, and private universities, with several institutions flouting the Keffi Declaration of 2022, a framework agreed upon by Vice Chancellors to guide honorary degree awards.
A key provision of the declaration prohibits awarding honorary doctorates to serving public officials and forbids self-nomination.
Ribadu cited former President Goodluck Jonathan’s recent award from Nile University as an example of compliance, noting that recipients should ideally be individuals who have long left public office.
He said the NUC will approach the National Assembly to push for legislation that criminalises the improper award and misuse of honorary doctorates.
Ribadu commended the committee chaired by Prof. Kabiru Bala for producing a comprehensive report detailing the disturbing rise of honorary degree mills across the country.
The NUC boss decried the growing trend of individuals purchasing honorary doctorates for financial patronage and then parading themselves as academic or medical doctors.
He stressed that honorary doctorate holders are not permitted to use the title “Dr.”, except in written form with the suffix honoris causa.
Ribadu also warned that several unaccredited institutions, both foreign and local, have become notorious degree mills, awarding fake doctorates and even fraudulent professorships.
He noted that misusing the title “Doctor” without proper qualification constitutes false representation and is punishable under Nigerian fraud-related laws.
While reaffirming the Commission’s regulatory authority under the Education, National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institutions, Act, Ribadu said only duly approved universities, public or private, can award honorary doctorates in Nigeria.
He added that honorary award recipients are prohibited from using such degrees to teach, supervise research, or assume academic positions.
He said the NUC has now developed a national guideline on the award and use of honorary doctorates, which will soon be published.
Ribadu announced that the Commission, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies, will commence a nationwide clampdown on illegal honorary degree mills.
He appealed to the media, government agencies, and the public to support efforts to restore dignity to honorary degrees and safeguard the credibility of Nigeria’s university system.
Earlier, while presenting the report, the Chairman of the NUC investigative committee on honorary doctorate awards, Prof. Kabiru Bala, raised fresh concerns over the growing abuse of honorary degrees in Nigeria, calling for urgent regulatory action.
He revealed that the committee adopted case-study analysis, reviewed extensive public documents and received memoranda from 27 Nigerian universities, alongside comparative guidelines from countries including the US, UK, Canada and Australia.
Findings showed that despite the Keffi Declaration, a policy framework agreed upon by vice chancellors, compliance among universities remains inconsistent, with some institutions engaging in indiscriminate awards and poor oversight.
Bala said indiscriminate honorary awards threaten the sanctity of Nigeria’s academic system and diverge sharply from global best practices where strict cultural and regulatory boundaries guide such recognitions.
The committee recommended that the NUC enforce uniform standards for awarding honorary doctorates, monitor their public use, and collaborate with relevant agencies to clamp down on emerging “degree mills.”
He added that universities must ensure transparency and confer honorary degrees only on deserving individuals to restore dignity and uphold academic integrity.
Kuni Tyessi in Abuja The National Universities Commission (NUC) has uncovered 32 institutions involved in the illegal and unethical award of honorary doctorate degrees, vowing tough sanctions to protect the integrity
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