The Federal Government has placed an immediate ban on the award of honorary doctorate degrees to serving public officials, following fresh concerns over the growing abuse of such titles across the country.
The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, announced the decision in Abuja on Friday while receiving the report of a special committee set up to probe the award and misuse of honorary degrees in Nigeria.
Professor Ribadu said the Commission was forced to act after a nationwide investigation revealed alarming patterns, including rampant violations of existing regulations and the rise of illegal institutions operating as “honorary degree factories.”
He said: “These degrees were originally meant to acknowledge exceptional service or achievement, but sadly they are now being misused. The situation has been made worse by unaccredited and illegal bodies—some in Nigeria and others abroad—issuing fake honorary doctorates.”
According to him, the probe uncovered widespread disregard for the Keffi Declaration of 2012, in which Vice-Chancellors agreed that serving public officials should not receive honorary degrees. The declaration also warns recipients not to use the title “Dr” without clarifying that it is honorary.
Ribadu stressed: “This is not just about ethics; it is also a matter of law. Using the title ‘Dr’ without stating that it is honorary amounts to misrepresentation, which is punishable under Nigeria’s fraud laws.”
He noted that the improper use of honorary academic titles undermines the credibility of Nigerian universities and erodes public confidence in earned qualifications.
The committee’s findings revealed 32 entities acting as honorary degree mills. These include:10 unaccredited foreign institutions, 4 unlicensed local universities, 15 professional bodies without degree-awarding rights, 3 non-academic organisations issuing unapproved titles
Some were also found to be awarding fake professorships.
“Only duly approved public or private universities in Nigeria are authorised to confer honorary doctorates.
“Even then, the proper format—such as Doctor of Literature (Honoris Causa)—must be used. The title ‘Dr’ is strictly for those who have earned a doctorate or are qualified medical professionals,”Ribadu reiterated.
He assured that stricter enforcement measures will follow, while promising that the full details of the report will be released in due course.
