The National University Commission (NUC),has received a long-awaited report on the growing politicisation and misuse of honorary doctorate degrees, amid mounting concerns that academic titles are being handed out as political favours.
The Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof Abdullahi Ribadu, announced the development on Wednesday at the 13th convocation ceremony of Nile University in Abuja. Ribadu said the five-member panel, inaugurated on 1 September following an inquiry from DUBAWA, the fact-checking arm of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, had submitted its findings and recommendations.
The inquiry had sought clarification on the widespread use of the title “Dr” by holders of honorary degrees—both from Nigerian and foreign institutions—and the implications for academic integrity.
Chaired by former Ahmadu Bello University Vice-Chancellor and NUC visiting professor, Kabiru Bala, the committee was tasked with proposing ethical guidelines for conferring and using honorary doctorates, as well as recommending best practices for their regulation.
Ribadu lamented that many institutions have ignored the Keffi Declaration of 2012, a pact by Nigerian vice-chancellors prohibiting universities from awarding honorary doctorates to serving public officials.
“We have what is called the Keffi Declaration from 2012. The Keffi Declaration is against the award of honorary doctorates to serving officers, whether political or not. But a lot of our universities do not follow it,” he said. “A committee was set up by the NUC. We have the report, and we are going to make it public on Friday, God willing.”
The declaration, agreed more than a decade ago, was intended to uphold the credibility of academic honours by limiting such awards to individuals who meet clear academic, professional or humanitarian benchmarks. It also sought to curb the use of honorary doctorates as tools of political patronage.
But in recent years, both accredited and unaccredited Nigerian universities have continued to honour politicians, business leaders and celebrities. President Bola Tinubu was recently awarded an honorary doctorate by Afe Babalola University, while Senator Ifeanyi Ararume received one from the Federal University, Lokoja. Celebrities including Tiwa Savage, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde and Peter Okoye have also been recipients of honorary doctorates from institutions such as the University of Kent, Igbinedion University and Escae University.
The legitimacy of some of the awarding institutions has been questioned, further fuelling the debate over how honorary degrees are being used—and misused—across the country.
Ribadu congratulated the graduating students at Nile University, encouraging them to “aspire to greater achievements” as the Commission prepares to release the panel’s recommendations to the public.
