The Federal Government has introduced stricter rules to curb the abuse of honorary degrees in Nigerian Universities, warning that violators could face sanctions, including action against Vice Chancellors and prosecution of individuals who falsely claim such awards.
Minister of Education Tunji Alausa said the policy, approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), is intended to restore integrity to honorary doctorate conferments, which he described as having been widely abused by some institutions and individuals.
Briefing State House Correspondents at the presidential Villa, Abuja, Alausa said under the new framework, Universities that do not run accredited doctoral programmes will no longer be allowed to award honorary doctorates.
Institutions must also submit proposed recipients to the National Universities Commission for vetting before any award is conferred.
“If any individual claims an honorary degree that was not duly awarded, such a person can be prosecuted. We are determined to restore integrity to the system,” he added.
The Minister said the government would verify claims of honorary degrees directly with awarding institutions and take action against anyone found to be misrepresenting such credentials.
“Any University that is not offering PhDs cannot award honorary doctorate degrees. Doing so will amount to a violation of the law, and there will be consequences, including sanctions against the vice chancellor,” the Minister noted.
Minister Alausa said the reforms, which took effect on April 20, were designed to sanitize the system and end what he called the indiscriminate awarding of honourary titles.
