The Federal Government has introduced stricter rules for awarding honorary doctorates in Nigeria, in a move aimed at restoring trust in the country’s higher education system.
Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, said on Wednesday that the new framework was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) after reports over abuse and commercialisation of the awards.
Alausa revealed the National Universities Commission (NUC) body drafted the guidelines.
Under the policy, only universities that have produced their first set of PhD graduates can confer honorary degrees.
Institutions are also limited to a maximum of three awards per convocation ceremony.
All recipients must now carry the title "Honoris Causa" on their certificates and are barred from using "Dr."
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In addition, he said the NUC will also set up a Special Fraud Unit to monitor compliance, while universities must publish the names of awardees and provide them with formal orientation.
Alausa warned that breaches could lead to sanctions, including suspension of accreditation activities and dissolution of governing councils.
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