The National Universities Commission (NUC) has issued a strong warning about the increasing occurrences of indiscriminate conferment and misuse of honorary doctorate degrees in Nigerian universities.
This comes as the NUC reiterated that sanctions will be enforced on both organisations and people who breach its guidelines.
The Commission issued a statement on Thursday outlining 16-point criteria for the award and proper use of honorary doctorates in accordance with the Education Act (National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institutions), CAP E3, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (2004), and its statutory mandate.
“The commission is deeply concerned about the increasing misuse and indiscriminate conferment of honorary doctorate degrees in the Nigerian University,” according to the press release.
According to the statement, the new criteria seek to govern the conferment process, defend academic integrity, and maintain Nigerian universities’ prestige. All universities and degree-granting institutions are required to carefully follow the regulations, which are consistent with the Keffi Declaration of 2012, which was signed by all vice-chancellors.
The Commission stated that honorary doctorates, whether conferred locally or overseas, are simply ceremonial and should not be considered equivalent to earned academic doctorates.
“These recommendations are established to defend the integrity, credibility, and global standing of Nigeria’s university system. All parties must completely comply with the rules for conferring and using honorary doctorates.
Any institution or individual found to have violated these standards would face regulatory repercussions, according to the NUC.