The National Universities Commission (NUC) has issued fresh guidelines regulating the award and use of honorary doctorate degrees in Nigeria, citing growing concerns over indiscriminate conferment and misuse of such honours.
In a public notice released on its official X page on Thursday, the commission said the new framework was approved under its powers in the Education (National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institutions) Act, CAP E3, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
“The Commission has observed, with grave concern, the increasing incidence of indiscriminate conferment and misuse of Honorary Doctorate Degrees within the Nigerian University System,” the notice stated. “In response to this development, the Management of the Commission has approved comprehensive Guidelines for the Award and Use of Honorary Doctorate Degrees in Nigeria.”
The NUC said the guidelines are aimed at regulating the conferment process, preserving academic integrity and safeguarding the credibility and global reputation of the Nigerian University System. It directed all universities and other degree-awarding institutions to strictly comply, warning that regulatory sanctions would be imposed for violations.
The commission clarified that honorary doctorate degrees, whether awarded locally or abroad, are honorary distinctions and not equivalent to earned academic doctorates.
Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof. Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, said the framework was developed in line with established academic traditions, including resolutions of the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities as articulated in the Keffi Declaration of 2012, as well as inputs submitted by universities in December 2025.
He said the guidelines are intended “to provide informed policy direction, strengthen institutional practices, and promote a more transparent and accountable system for the award and use of honorary doctorate degrees in Nigeria.”
An investigation cited in reports found widespread abuse, including 32 entities operating as honorary degree mills. These included unaccredited foreign universities, unlicensed local institutions and professional bodies without degree-awarding powers. Some were reportedly issuing fake professorships.
Under the new rules:
- Institutional eligibility: Only approved universities (either public or private) are eligible to award honorary doctorate degrees in Nigeria.
- Maturity requirement: Only universities that have graduated the first set of PhD students are eligible to award honorary doctorate degrees in Nigeria.
- Purpose of the award: The purpose of the award shall be to recognize exceptional and sustained contribution, reflect institutional values, and ensure diversity.
- Criteria for the award: The criteria for the award shall be clear and transparent with balanced representation across gender, race, nationality, and discipline to avoid conflicts of interest. All procedures for selecting and awarding honorary doctorate degrees shall be clearly stated on the official website of the awarding institution and made accessible.
- Recipient eligibility: Self-nominated candidates and elected or appointed serving public officials are excluded.
- Confidentiality: All aspects of the honorary doctorate degrees shall be treated with the highest level of confidentiality, and nominees shall only be contacted after their nominations have been approved by the Senate and Governing Council.
- Award nomination: All nominations shall be processed by the statutory committee.
- Approval: All nominations require University Senate and Governing Council approval.
- Number of awards: The number of awards at each convocation shall not exceed three (3).
- Nomenclature and title: All honorary doctorate degrees shall contain the nomenclature or title Honoris Causa. For example: Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa), D.Sc. (h.c.)
- Conferment: Shall be in-person at the ceremony. In exceptional cases, the conferment may be done virtually or in absentia; it may be awarded posthumously.
- No fee: Honorary doctorate degrees shall be conferred without any fee or expectation of payment from the recipient.
- Usage: The recipients are at liberty to use the approved nomenclature or title of the honorary doctorate degree such as Doctor of Law (Honoris Causa) or LL.D. (h.c.); or letters (Honoris Causa) or D.Sc. (h.c.) after their names. However, they are not permitted to use “Dr.”, which is reserved for holders of earned degrees and medical professionals. Additionally, they are not permitted to use the honorary doctorate degree to practice as scholars or professionals, oversee administrative units, or supervise research work.
- Orientation: All awarding universities shall provide both written and verbal orientation to recipients on how to use the award.
- Publication of records: All universities shall regularly publish names of honorary doctorate degree recipients on their official website and make it accessible to the public, in order to uphold transparency.
- Revocation policy: All awarding universities shall provide a formal mechanism to rescind awards if a recipient is convicted of fraud, or has engaged in any unethical conduct that is inconsistent with the values of the awarding institution.
The NUC reiterated that recipients cannot use honorary degrees to practise as scholars, supervise research, or oversee administrative units. The commission stressed that all eligible universities are required to comply strictly with the framework, warning that sanctions will apply to institutions that violate the regulations.