For years, the Nigerian convocation square has been criticised as a marketplace where prestige is traded for political patronage or cold, hard cash. The National Universities Commission (NUC) is now reining in a system that many say has become “bastardised’’ by over-commercialisation, reports IYABO LAWAL.

In a move to restore the “character and learning” traditionally associated with Nigerian academia, the National Universities Commission (NUC) has launched a sweeping regulatory offensive against the “Honorary Doctorate Industrial Complex.”

The urgency of this intervention is underscored by a sobering NUC investigation that identified 32 “honorary degree mills,” a mix of unaccredited foreign “universities” and unlicensed local entities, exploiting the public’s hunger for titles.

To check this abuse, the commission has introduced a 16-point framework aligned with the 2012 Keffi Declaration. This directive effectively “gates” the system, mandating that only mature universities with established PhD programmes can confer honours, and even then, only three recipients per ceremony.

Perhaps the most controversial pillar of the reform is the total ban on the use of the “Dr” prefix for honorary awardees. By restricting the title to earned academic or medical qualifications, the NUC is forcing a distinction between ceremonial recognition and the rigour of research. This mirrors strict global standards, such as those in Germany, where the unauthorised use of “Doctor” is a criminal offence, or the United Kingdom, where honorary titles remain strictly post-nominal.

As Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Education pushes for “reforms at all costs,” the NUC’s stance signals that sanity may finally be returning to the system. The era of the “purchased” title is being replaced by a global standard: if you want the title, you must first do the work. It is the best global practice.

Even in countries with well-established traditions, there have been debates about the politicisation or commercialisation of honorary degrees. Cases of “degree mills” or unaccredited institutions selling credentials are a global problem, leading to international efforts to crack down on such fraudulent practices, as highlighted by the NUC’s investigation into foreign degree mills operating in Nigeria.

The concern about “riff-raffs” getting titles is shared globally. Many developed nations have long maintained a firewall between ceremonial honours and academic titles.

In the United States, the distinction is clearly drawn. Recipients of honorary degrees do not use the “Dr” prefix. The honour is denoted in writing with “Hon.” or “HC” after the degree name. While social custom might allow for a casual introduction as “Doctor” during the convocation ceremony itself, it is a severe social and professional faux pas, and potentially fraudulent, to use the title in a professional capacity if it was not earned through academic rigour. The American Medical Association and various state laws also strictly regulate who can claim to be a medical doctor.

In the United Kingdom (UK), Australia, and New Zealand, it is considered improper practice for an honorary doctor to use the prefix ‘Dr’ in professional life. While they may use post-nominal letters (e.g., John Smith, Hon. D.Litt), the title is strictly ceremonial. Specifically in the UK, the use of titles is less regulated by the state, but heavily enforced by social convention and institutional guidelines.

The UK’s Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals has long held that honorary graduates should not use the title “Dr” in a way that implies they hold a higher degree. A breach of this convention is not usually a criminal matter, but it can lead to public ridicule and the revocation of the honour.

Some institutions, like the University of Oxford, are famously stingy with these awards, ensuring they remain a mark of extreme global merit rather than local popularity.

Germany has some of the world’s strictest laws regarding academic titles. Using an unauthorised “Dr” title, including one from a non-accredited foreign university or an honorary one without the ‘h.c.’ suffix, is a criminal offence punishable by fines or imprisonment.

In 2024, high-profile politicians in the EU were forced to resign after “doctorate inflation” scandals, reinforcing the academic purpose-only rule.

Nigeria’s neighbour, Ghana, took a similar stand in 2025, banning the use of unearned academic titles by public figures.

GTEC Director-General, Prof. Ahmed Abdulai, stated in December 2025 that investigations revealed many doctorate certificates held by Ghanaians were issued by unaccredited foreign institutions. In October 2025, GTEC ordered an individual to stop using the “Dr” title after determining his doctoral certificate was invalid.

Six years ago, former Governor Babatunde Fashola decried the abuse of honorary degrees by universities in the country, revealing that he turned down 17 offers during his eight-year tenure between 2007 and 2015.

The former governor, who said he stopped the award of honorary degrees at Lagos State University (LASU), noted that such degrees must be conferred on awardees based on merit, not because they occupy political offices or command socio-economic power.

“We said, look we are going to be different and for two or three years we did not award any honorary degree because truly, the idea of honorary degree is an important building block of society, and once we throw those blocks away or make them unviable, then, the purpose for it is lost,” Fashola stated.

He added: “In my eight years in office I had 17 offers and I didn’t take one. I told them to wait until when I was out of office and if they still find me worthy, they should then come back, and when I was out of office only one came back.

“The point I want to make is that we have to encourage our children to work hard. What have these honorees of the universities done to deserve the honour? What of those who have become undeserving, will you go back and tell them to return the degrees, that they don’t deserve them anymore?”

On February 26, 2026, the NUC issued a sweeping set of guidelines aimed at regulating the “indiscriminate conferment and misuse” of honorary doctorates within the Nigerian University System.

The move, which bans serving public officials from receiving such awards and prohibits recipients from using the coveted “Dr” prefix, represents a watershed moment in the battle to salvage the integrity of a system critics say has been bastardised by commercial interests and political vanity.

For years, the conferment of honorary degrees in Nigeria has been clouded by allegations of a “pay-to-play” culture.

As the NUC itself revealed during a damning investigation in November 2025, the scale of the abuse is staggering. The commission uncovered that 32 institutions, ranging from unaccredited foreign universities to local professional bodies lacking degree-awarding powers, were operating as honorary doctorate mills. Even more shocking were the price tags attached to these titles.

The NUC’s recent directive is not the first attempt to curb this excess. In 2012, the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU) issued what became known as the Keffi Declaration, which explicitly prohibited universities from awarding honorary degrees to serving political office holders and warned against the misuse of the “Dr” title by recipients.

However, the declaration was widely ignored. Instead of providing a check, some universities, facing severe funding shortages, turned a blind eye, and in some cases, actively participated in the trade, using honorary awards as fundraising tools to fill budget gaps.

This complicity has led to a disturbing situation in Nigeria where convocation ceremonies are often overshadowed by the parade of politicians and wealthy “philanthropists” receiving honorary doctorates, while the graduating students, who earned their degrees through years of study, become mere spectators at their own celebration.

The new NUC guidelines aim to close the loopholes that allowed this culture to thrive. The directive, backed by the Education Act CAP E3 of 2004, outlines a strict 16-point framework.

Key provisions of that framework include strict eligibility (serving elected or appointed public officials are now explicitly excluded from consideration), no self-nomination (universities are barred from considering self-nominated candidates, a common practice where wealthy individuals would lobby for awards), caps on numbers (universities are now restricted to awarding a maximum of three honorary degrees per convocation) and the end of “Dr” (likely the most consequential rule is the prohibition on recipients using the prefix “Dr” Instead, they must append the designation Honoris Causa (h.c.) after their name (e.g., John Doe, D.Litt. h.c.).

The NUC’s Executive Secretary, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, has been at the forefront of this initiative. He stressed that the indiscriminate conferment and misuse of honorary titles diminish public trust in the education system.

An investigation commissioned by the NUC identified 32 “honorary degree mills,” including 10 unaccredited foreign universities, four unlicensed local universities, 15 professional bodies without degree-awarding powers, and three other non-degree-awarding institutions.

These entities were found to be offering these degrees without proper oversight, often for a fee, a practice Ribadu condemned as “exploitation.”!

The new guidelines, developed with input from Nigerian universities, are designed to standardise the conferment process, preserve academic integrity, and protect the global reputation of Nigerian universities.

The NUC’s plan to collaborate with law enforcement agencies for a nationwide clampdown on institutions and individuals abusing these titles signals a serious intent beyond mere guidelines.

The NUC’s directive represents a robust effort to restore integrity to the honorary degree system. The explicit ban on serving public officials and the strict rules on the use of the “Dr” title are direct responses to the “bastardisation” of the awards highlighted.

However, the effectiveness of these directives will largely depend on their enforcement. Public reaction has been a mix of strong support and scepticism about enforcement.

If consistently enforced, these measures could indeed check abuse and re-establish the meaning of “character and learning” in the context of academic honours.

Be that as it may, in Nigeria, honorary doctorates traditionally recognise exceptional non-academic contributions.

In Nigeria, post-independence awards honoured leaders like Nnamdi Azikiwe and Obafemi Awolowo. But proliferation ensued. Revenue motives fuel concerns. Universities, facing funding shortfalls, have eyed fees amid the 2026 education allocation of 3.52 trillion (6.1 per cent of the N58 trillion budget, far below UNESCO’s 26 per cent benchmark). While exact figures vary, reports note high costs tied to endowments that seldom materialise fully. Professional bodies without degree powers also award them, diluting standards.

Ribadu was emphatic on this point, stating that using “Dr” based on an honorary degree without clarification “amounts to false representation, which is punishable under various fraud-related laws in Nigeria.”

The NUC’s directive is a step toward “sanity,” but enforcement is the true hurdle. If the 32 “degree mills” are allowed to continue operating under the radar, the titles held by genuine scholars will continue to lose value.

Stakeholders, however, expressed concerns over the integrity of the academic system, the devaluation of Nigerian degrees, and the need for universities to prioritise academic excellence over financial gain.

Emeritus Professor Adetola Ademuwagun of the University of Ilorin,noted that the saying “in character and learning” is the foundation of a university degree, and “when a university trades this for a new library wing or a bus donated by a ‘Doctor of Business Administration (honoris causa), it sells its soul.'”

Prof. Usman Adamu of Bayero University, Kano (BUK), described the indiscriminate award of doctoral degrees as a ticking time bomb.

“It’s a shame that some universities are prioritising profit over academic integrity. This will ultimately devalue the worth of Nigerian degrees and undermine our credibility globally.”

For Dr Okon Inyang, a member of the Nigerian Academy of Science,awarding doctoral degrees without proper scrutiny is a clear case of academic malpractice, and emphasised the need to protect the integrity of our academic system by ensuring that degrees are awarded based on merit, not money.

On his part, Prof. Ike Nwosu of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), noted that the award of doctoral degrees should be based on academic excellence, and not financial gain.

Nwosu warned that universities engaging in this practice are compromising their reputation and undermining the value of Nigerian degrees.

Student Activist, Emmanuel Ude, said the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) warned that the indiscriminate award of doctoral degrees is a recipe for disaster, and called on universities to prioritise academic integrity.