NUC committee report exposes the misuse of honorary doctorates in Nigeria, urging universities to follow ethical guidelines and uphold academic integrity

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has received a report from a committee investigating the growing politicisation and misuse of honorary doctorate degrees in Nigeria.

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Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, NUC Executive Secretary, disclosed the submission on Wednesday during the 13th convocation ceremony of Nile University, Abuja. He announced that the report would be made public on Friday.

The five-member committee, inaugurated on September 1, 2025, was chaired by former Ahmadu Bello University Vice-Chancellor and NUC Visiting Professor, Kabiru Bala.

Its mandate included proposing ethical guidelines for honorary doctorate recipients and recommending best practices for awarding and regulating such degrees in Nigerian institutions.

Ribadu lamented that many universities continue to flout the Keffi Declaration of 2012, which prohibits the conferment of honorary doctorates on serving public officers, whether political or otherwise.

“A lot of our universities do not follow it,” he said, stressing the need to uphold academic integrity.

The Keffi Declaration was designed to ensure that honorary doctorates are reserved for individuals meeting defined academic, professional, or humanitarian criteria and to prevent their misuse for political patronage.

Despite this, both accredited and unaccredited universities have continued to award such honours to politicians, business leaders, and celebrities.

Recent recipients include President Bola Tinubu, who received an honorary doctorate from Afe Babalola University, and Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, honoured by the Federal University, Lokoja.

Celebrities such as Tiwa Savage, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, and Peter Okoye have also received honorary degrees from Nigerian and foreign institutions, including the University of Kent, Igbinedion University, and Escae University.

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The NUC committee’s report is expected to recommend stricter enforcement measures and clear ethical frameworks to curb the ongoing misuse of honorary degrees, reinforcing the credibility and prestige of academic honours in Nigeria.