The National Universities Commission (NUC), has announced the discovery of 32 institutions involved in the illegal and unethical award of honorary doctorate degrees and professorships.
The NUC has vowed to impose tough sanctions to protect the integrity of the nation’s higher education system, warning that the misuse of such titles constitutes false representation and is punishable under Nigerian law.
The Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, disclosed the findings during a press briefing in Abuja, following a report submitted by a committee investigating the misuse of honorary titles. The 32 violating institutions fall into four categories:
- Foreign Universities: 10 institutions operating illegally within Nigeria
- Unlicensed Local Universities: 4 local institutions operating without NUC authorization
- Professional Bodies: 15 professional bodies that lack the legal mandate to award academic degrees
- Other Institutions: 3 institutions that are not authorized to confer any academic titles
Prof. Ribadu stressed that the primary concern is the growing number of recipients who use the honorary title to falsely present themselves as holders of genuine academic degrees (Ph.D. or medical degrees).
The NUC emphasized that using the title “Dr” based on an honorary degree without clarification is unethical and amounts to false representation, a punishable offense under fraud-related laws.
Even when awarded by legally approved Nigerian universities, recipients must use the full nomenclature, such as Doctor of Literature (Honoris Causa) or D.Litt (h.c.), and are prohibited from using the title “Dr” alone. Holders of such are refrain from using the honorary degree to practice as scholars, supervise research, or hold administrative academic roles.
The NUC is soliciting the support of security agencies and the public to “restore honour to honorary degrees” and defend the dignity of Nigeria’s higher education institutions.
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