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The National Universities Commission (NUC) has unveiled a comprehensive framework to regulate the award and use of honorary doctorate degrees across Nigerian universities. The new guidelines, relnuceased in February 2026, aim to uphold academic integrity, promote transparency, and ensure that such honors reflect genuine merit and institutional values.
Honorary doctorate degrees, traditionally conferred to recognize exceptional contributions to society, have faced scrutiny in recent years over questionable practices and politicization. In response, the NUC has formalized a 16-point directive that outlines eligibility, procedures, and ethical standards for conferring these prestigious titles.
Key Highlights of the Guidelines
- Institutional Eligibility: Only accredited universities that have graduated their first set of PhD students are permitted to award honorary degrees.
- Exclusion of Serving Officials: Elected or appointed public officials currently in office, as well as self-nominated individuals, are barred from receiving honorary degrees.
- Award Limits: No more than three honorary degrees may be conferred at any single convocation ceremony.
- Title Usage Restrictions: Recipients may use titles like “Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa)” or “D.Litt. (h.c.)” but are prohibited from using “Dr.” as a prefix or practicing professionally under the honorary title.
- Transparency Measures: Universities must publicly list recipients on their websites and maintain mechanisms to revoke awards in cases of fraud or unethical conduct.
The guidelines also mandate that all nominations undergo approval by both the University Senate and Governing Council, and that recipients receive orientation on the appropriate use of the title.
Professor Abdullahi Yusuf Ribadu, Executive Secretary of the NUC, emphasized that the new policy reflects input from Nigerian universities and builds on the AVCNU’s Keffi Declaration of 2012. He warned that institutions violating these standards will face regulatory sanctions.
“These guidelines are not just procedural, they are a reaffirmation of the values that define our academic institutions,” Ribadu stated.
The NUC’s move is widely seen as a step toward restoring credibility to honorary awards and reinforcing the prestige of Nigeria’s higher education system.
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