Tinubu Caution Varsities Against Indiscriminate Honorary Degrees Award Despite CSU Certificate Controversies

President Bola Tinubu has cautioned Nigerian universities against the indiscriminate bestowal of honorary degrees, asserting that such practices undermine the fundamental principles of academic integrity and must be ceased.

Represented by the Acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Mr Chris Jibreel-Maiyaki, Tinubu delivered this warning during the combined convocation ceremonies celebrating the sixth, seventh, and eighth cohorts of graduates from the Federal University of Lafia (FULafia) in Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa State, yesterday.

Emphasising that degrees should only be conferred upon individuals deemed worthy in character and learning, he added that honorary degrees should be reserved for only deserving Nigerians who have made substantial contributions to societal advancement.

In his words: “Moral training and ethical standards must be coupled with the best form of academic development for universities to fulfil their purpose.

“Therefore, universities’ management and the general teaching and learning environments must model the highest standard of integrity, purity, 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,” Tinubu said.

This caution comes following the controversies surrounding President Tinubu’s alleged Chicago State University certificate forgery, which he submitted to INEC during the 2023 general election.

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