- NUC Bans Honorary Doctorates for Public Officials
- …Targets Fake Degree Mills in Nigeria
- The NUC’s investigation revealed numerous violations of the 2012 Keffi Declaration
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has imposed a ban on Nigerian universities awarding honorary doctorate degrees to serving public officials.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the decision is part of the Commission’s broader effort to address the growing misuse of such honors and to combat the proliferation of unaccredited institutions offering fraudulent degrees.
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In a statement issued on Friday in Abuja, NUC Executive Secretary, Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, confirmed that the move followed the findings of a committee investigating the misuse of honorary degrees across the country. Ribadu emphasized that the initiative aims to preserve the integrity of academic qualifications in Nigeria, noting that honorary degrees are meant to recognize genuine achievements, not be used as a tool for political gain or personal prestige.
“These degrees are intended to honor those who have made significant contributions to society,” Ribadu said. “Unfortunately, they have become increasingly misused, especially by public officials.”
The crackdown comes in response to alarming findings from a nationwide investigation into the awarding of honorary degrees. Ribadu explained that the rise of unaccredited universities both local and international has exacerbated the situation, with some institutions acting as “honorary degree mills” that sell bogus titles.
The NUC’s investigation revealed numerous violations of the 2012 Keffi Declaration, an agreement among Nigerian Vice-Chancellors that calls for stricter regulation of honorary degree awards. Specifically, the Declaration forbids universities from granting honorary doctorates to serving public officials and urges recipients to clearly disclose the honorary nature of their titles.
“Misusing the ‘Dr’ title based on an honorary degree is not just an ethical issue—it is a legal one,” Ribadu warned. “It constitutes false representation and is punishable under Nigerian fraud laws.”
Ribadu also cited a troubling report, which identified 32 institutions across Nigeria operating as honorary degree mills. The list includes 10 unaccredited foreign universities, 4 unlicensed local institutions, 15 unapproved professional bodies, and 3 other non-degree-granting entities. Some of these organizations have even gone as far as awarding fake professorships.
The NUC reaffirmed that the power to confer honorary degrees rests solely with accredited public and private universities in Nigeria, and recipients must refrain from using the title “Dr” unless they have earned it through formal academic qualifications or professional medical certification.
“This is not just about academic ethics, it’s about upholding the law,” Ribadu said. “The integrity of our universities must be safeguarded to maintain public trust in the credibility of Nigerian degrees.”
The NUC’s crackdown signals a commitment to cleaning up the growing problem of academic fraud in Nigeria and restoring the value of legitimate academic recognition.
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