The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has announced the approval of a uniform policy to curb the growing abuse and politicisation of honorary degrees, particularly their conferment on serving public officials.
Speaking to State House correspondents after a Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by Bola Tinubu, Alausa said the new policy introduces stricter controls on how such honours are awarded. He was accompanied by the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmed.
The minister expressed concern over the increasing misuse of honorary degrees by some tertiary institutions, noting that earlier attempts to regulate the practice since 2012 had been ineffective due to weak enforcement and lack of legal backing.
Under the new framework, only universities offering PhD programmes will be permitted to award honorary doctorate degrees. Institutions that violate this rule risk sanctions, including penalties against vice chancellors.
In addition, all universities must now obtain clearance from the National Universities Commission before conferring honorary degrees. The commission will vet nominees to ensure that only qualified individuals are recognised, thereby ending indiscriminate awards.
Alausa also warned that individuals who falsely claim honorary degrees could face prosecution, with government agencies mandated to verify such claims directly with awarding institutions.
“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 said.
The reforms, which took effect from April 20 following FEC approval, are aimed at restoring credibility to Nigeria’s higher education system and curbing misuse of academic titles. While informal use of titles may be difficult to regulate, the government said compliance would be strictly enforced in official and formal settings.
The Federal Government reiterated its commitment to strengthening standards in the education sector, describing the measures as a decisive move towards accountability and discipline.
Alausa further disclosed that the Council approved a second memo establishing a National Research and Innovation Development Fund, aimed at raising $500 million annually to support collaboration among research institutions, academia and industry.