The National Universities Commission (NUC) has announced a nationwide crackdown on illegal institutions issuing fake honorary doctorate degrees. The move comes after a detailed investigation uncovered 32 entities operating as “degree mills,” including unaccredited foreign universities, unlicensed local institutions, and professional bodies without the legal authority to award degrees.
Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, Executive Secretary of the NUC, disclosed the findings in a statement addressing what he described as a growing national menace: the abuse and commercialization of honorary doctorate degrees.
According to Ribadu, honorary doctorates were originally designed to celebrate exceptional service or achievement, but the title has increasingly been misused by recipients some of whom falsely parade themselves as academic doctors. Even more troubling is the rise of illegal institutions that issue these degrees without merit, oversight, or legitimacy.
32 Illegal Degree Mills Identified
The NUC investigation revealed:
10 foreign universities operating without accreditation
4 Nigerian universities functioning without proper licensing
15 professional organizations with no degree-awarding authority
3 additional institutions that do not offer academic degrees
The Commission warned that this list may grow as more entities are uncovered. Some of the institutions were also found to be awarding fake professorships, further undermining the credibility of Nigeria’s academic system.
Violation of National Policies and Laws
Ribadu emphasized that many institutions continue to flout the Keffi Declaration of 2012, a policy endorsed by Nigerian Vice-Chancellors to regulate the award of honorary degrees. The declaration prohibits universities from honouring serving public officials and instructs recipients not to use the title “Dr” without proper clarification.
He stressed that representing an honorary title as an earned academic credential constitutes false representation, which is punishable under Nigerian fraud-related laws. Such abuses, he noted, erode public trust and devalue the achievements of genuine scholars.
Only Approved Universities Can Confer Honorary Degrees
Reiterating the legal framework, the NUC clarified that only accredited public or private universities may award honorary doctorate degrees in Nigeria. Recipients may use designations like Doctor of Literature (Honoris Causa) or D.Litt. (h.c.), but they must not adopt the prefix “Dr,” which is reserved for holders of earned doctorate degrees and qualified medical professionals.
Honorary degree holders are also prohibited from using such awards to practice as academics, supervise research, or assume administrative roles within educational institutions.
NUC to Publish National Guidelines and Enforce Sanctions
The Commission announced that a new national guideline for conferring and using honorary doctorate degrees has been completed and will soon be published. Afterward, the NUC working with law enforcement agencies will begin a strict enforcement campaign against illegal degree mills.
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Ribadu appealed to government bodies, academia, and the general public to support efforts to safeguard the integrity of Nigerian higher education.
“Let us defend the dignity of our honorary degrees and restore honour to our universities,” he said.