The National Universities Commission (NUC) says it has uncovered 32 institutions issuing fake honorary doctorate degrees, prompting a nationwide clampdown and a ban on such awards for serving public officials.
The Executive Secretary of the NUC, Abdullahi Ribadu, disclosed this in Abuja on Friday after receiving the report of a committee investigating the proliferation of fake honorary degrees across the country. He said the alarming trend undermines the integrity of Nigeria’s higher education system.
According to Ribadu, honorary degrees are meant to recognise exceptional individuals, but many unapproved institutions have turned them into commercial ventures.
A total of 10 unaccredited foreign universities, 4 unlicensed local universities, 15 professional bodies, and 3 non-degree-awarding organisations were identified as operating “honorary degree mills.”
He noted that some individuals allegedly pay between ₦20 million and ₦50 million to obtain these fraudulent honours.
“These institutions even go as far as awarding fake professorships. Some people pay huge sums of money just to acquire honorary doctorate degrees,” he said.
The NUC boss added that many institutions were violating the 2012 Keffi Declaration, an agreement among vice chancellors to regulate the granting of honorary degrees. One of its key provisions bars the award of honorary degrees to serving public office holders, whether elected or appointed.
“When you award a serving public officer, you are pursuing patronage,” he said.
Ribadu also clarified that recipients of honorary doctorates must not style themselves as ‘Doctor’, except with the appropriate honoris causa notation.
He announced that the NUC would begin a coordinated crackdown on the identified institutions, working with security agencies. The commission is also preparing a national guideline to regulate the issuance and use of honorary doctorate degrees.
Ribadu further revealed that the Commission would collaborate with the National Assembly to propose a law criminalising the abuse of honorary degrees.
Chairman of the investigative committee, Professor Kabir Bala, urged the NUC to enforce a uniform standard and closely monitor public usage to protect the dignity of academic awards.
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