President Bola Tinubu has warned Nigerian universities against indiscriminate award of honorary degrees, saying that it undermines the very core values of academic integrity and must be discontinued.
In a recent communication, President Tinubu brings attention to the issue of universities awarding honorary degrees without sufficient scrutiny. The President highlights the need for universities to carefully assess individuals before bestowing such significant recognition.
Tinubu, expressed his cautionary advice during the joint occasion of the graduation ceremonies for the sixth, seventh, and eighth batches of students from the Federal University of Lafia (FULafia), which took place in Lafia, the capital city of Nasarawa State, yesterday.
The Acting Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission (NUC), Mr. Chris Jibreel-Maiyaki, on behalf of the president, clarified that degrees are granted to individuals who demonstrate both exemplary character and learning.
In his viewpoint, he asserted that honorary degrees ought to be bestowed upon deserving Nigerians who have made significant contributions to the advancement of society. He stated that academic proficiency and professional education are only a small part of the criteria necessary to construct a robust and thriving nation.
He said: “Moral training and ethical standards must be coupled with the best form of academic development for universities to fulfill their purpose.
“Therefore, universities’ management and the general environments of teaching and learning must model the highest standard of integrity, probity and moral discipline.
“In this connection, I must draw your attention to the tendency of some institutions to devalue the quality of their degrees by giving out honorary doctorate degrees indiscriminately against the common universities’ community practice.”
President Tinubu has additionally committed to consistently and optimistically address the requirements of universities and their communities, in an effort to restructure and improve outcomes effectively.