On Friday, November 21, the Federal Government, through the National Universities Commission (NUC), announced a clampdown on universities on the misuse of honorary doctorate titles.

Specifically, it warned universities against conferring honorary doctorate degrees on serving political office holders, in line with the Keffi Declaration.

Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, gave the directive while receiving the report of the Committee on the Misuse of Honorary Doctorate Degrees by Recipients in Nigeria.

Prof. Ribadu cautioned that any institution found culpable would face penalties, adding that the Commission would work with the National Assembly to put a legal framework in place to punish violators.

By this development, Nigeria joins the league of other African countries that have taken action to address the misuse of honorary degrees and titles, including Ghana, Ethiopia, Liberia, Zambia, and Malawi. Pundits say these actions reflect a growing concern across the continent about preserving academic integrity and preventing the public from being misled by unearned qualifications.

The Executive Secretary expressed concern over the rise of unaccredited and illegal institutions operating as honorary doctorate degree mills in the country.

Prof. Ribadu lamented that many institutions fail to comply with the Keffi Declaration of 2012, where Vice-Chancellors prohibited the award of honorary degrees to serving political office holders. It equally discouraged recipients of honorary doctorates from styling themselves as “Dr” without clarity or proper disclosure.

The Guardian reports that in 2025 alone, prominent institutions like the University of Port Harcourt, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Nigerian Maritime University (NMU), Federal University Gashua, and Federal University of Kashere (FUK) have all violated the Keffi Declaration.

The conferment of honorary degrees is often a major feature of convocation ceremonies, with recipients ranging from serving and former political leaders to top industry figures. While many high-profile political honorees tend to celebrate these awards lavishly—often accompanied by congratulatory adverts from their supporters and political associates—there are growing concerns that the practice is being misused.

These concerns intensified after Ribadu claimed that some individuals allegedly paid up to N50 million to obtain such titles from certain institutions, describing the practice as a form of political patronage. “To the extent that there are people who even buy, give the university N20 million, N30 million, N40 million, N50 million, get honorary doctorate degree, and they go about branding themselves as doctors, comparing themselves to people who have worked tirelessly to earn a PhD”, he said.

The 10 serving political office holders that have been awarded honorary doctorate titles from Nigerian universities in 2025 include:

1. Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen – National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).

2. First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu – Federal University Gashua (FUG), University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).

3. Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike – University of Port Harcourt.

4. Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri – University of Port Harcourt.

5. Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni – Federal University Gashua.

6. Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori – Nigerian Maritime University (NMU).

7. Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate – Federal University of Kashere.

8. Minister of Police Affairs, Ibrahim Geidam – Federal University Gashua.

9. Senator Orji Kalu – Federal University of Kashere (FUK).

10. Chairman, House Committee on Appropriations, Rep. Abubakar Bichi – Federal University of Kashere (FUK).