By Muiz Banire SAN
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This discourse borders on a matter that sits at the intersection of education, ethics, and national development, that is, the regulation of honorary degrees in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions. The discourse is critical at this time as the abuse of the awards has become alarming, and while other African countries in the least are addressing the subject, the relevant organs in Nigeria appear to be indifferent for reasons best known to them. The situation is becoming so deplorable that it is best captured in the Yoruba proverb that “Ti a ba fun ni niyì, ki a ma fi owo Ewa je E niyì”, when honor is bestowed upon us, we must not devalue it by our own hands. This timeless saying captures the essence of our conversation today. Honorary degrees are one of the highest honors that universities can bestow. Yet, in our country today, this once hallowed tradition has become entangled in the murky waters of politics, patronage, and commercial interests.
The need for reform could not be more urgent than now. If for nothing, let us emulate some other progressive countries in this regard. The tradition of honorary degrees, as inherited from ancient European universities, was designed to honor men and women whose works exemplified the finest ideals of humanity, those that are great thinkers, nation-builders, philanthropists, and those who, through service, had elevated society. Early Nigerian universities embraced this tradition with care and circumspection. At the University of Ibadan in its early decades, to be awarded an honorary degree was almost akin to canonization. Recipients were statesmen of unblemished character, towering academics, and icons of culture. The honorary degrees were symbolic and bereft of any academic rigour or scholarship. But fast-forward to today, and one observes a worrying trend. Honorary degrees have become tools of sycophancy, instruments of political signaling, and, in the worst cases, commodities for sale. Some universities, desperate for funds or relevance, have turned this noble recognition into a transactional affair. When individuals facing corruption trials or leaders with dubious records are garlanded with academic honors, the institution itself loses moral authority.
The scenario is now turning out to be that from glory to controversy. Let us contextualize this with scenarios. Suppose the University of Lagos decides to honor an innovator who designed affordable solar technology for rural electrification. The award not only uplifts that individual but also signals to students and the nation that innovation is valued. Conversely, when a university confers an honorary degree on a controversial billionaire whose wealth source is opaque, the signal is that “anything goes.” Another scenario. Imagine Lagos State University choosing to honor a LASTMA officer who, over decades, distinguished himself in managing traffic with integrity and courage. Such a gesture would remind the public that true honor lies in service, not just in status. We cannot ignore the increasing politicization of honorary degrees. It has become common practice for universities to award serving governors, ministers, or legislators, often during their tenure, and frequently in anticipation of material favors in numerous ways such as in form of donations, endowments, or state allocations.
This practice undermines the autonomy of the university and sends the wrong signal to students. How can a student believe in meritocracy when his university glorifies individuals whose legacies remain under question? Another albatross is that of the commercialization of the honors. In some quarters, the rumor, sometimes substantiated, is that honorary degrees are for sale. Business moguls, social celebrities, and even entertainers with questionable lifestyles suddenly parade themselves as “Doctor” this and “Doctor” that. Such commercialization is nothing short of an assault on academic integrity. Ordinarily, this ought to be a source of worry to the academic community but strangely, they seem to be totally indifferent and non-challant. The question is, are they not worried about the reputation of their institutions? When a university chooses to honor someone later convicted of fraud or corruption, the shame is not on the individual alone, it is obviously a stain on the entire institution. The university, as a custodian of truth and excellence, ought and must avoid such reputational risks.
The attitude, however, as I opined above, is lackadaisical. The implication of this practice is the marginalization of the true heroes deserving of the honors. Countless Nigerians who deserve recognition, scientists working silently on life-saving research, community leaders transforming local lives, teachers shaping generations, and social reformers sacrificing personal comfort for public good, who truly merit the honors are overlooked. In most instances, the basis of denial is simply because they lack political power or deep pockets to connect them. This is not only injustice disguised as tradition but academic hara-kiri. The situation has degenerated so badly that the honors are not only largely valueless now but even threaten real and earned academic degrees as unveiled below. Except the system promptly responds to the challenge, there might be nothing to rescue again in due course.
How does this system achieve this, I believe the basic route is the regulation of the process. Some may argue that regulation would infringe upon university autonomy. On the contrary, regulation would protect it. Autonomy without accountability is a recipe for abuse. By instituting a framework for honorary awards, Nigeria would not be curtailing freedom but safeguarding dignity. Regulation ensures consistency, fairness, and transparency. More importantly, it repositions honorary degrees as instruments of inspiration for our youth. This is imperative to curtail the ongoing abuse; and this approach is not going to be peculiar to Nigeria nor novel. Just recently in Ethiopia, the Ministry of Education issued directives barring serving government officials and political candidates from being nominated for honorary degrees. Full-time employees, members of the senate of the university or administrative staff of the institutions, unless their direct relationship with the institution has ended, are equally prohibited.
The directive went further to restrict newly established universities from conferring the distinction, mandating them that to be able to make such awards, the institutions must have graduated at least eight cohorts of students and offer degrees such as PhDs, to qualify. Most significantly, in the determination of entitlements, the institutions are made to be under compulsion to ensure compliance with both national and international standards. My position is even simpler and much relaxed than this. It is that the minimum guidelines be set by the stakeholders and must be uniform while making compliance compulsory, with the attendant sanction in any case of violation. The failure to arrest the drift would ultimately amount to what Fela Anikulapo-Kuti once sang, “Teacher, don’t teach me nonsense.” If universities continue to elevate questionable characters, they indirectly teach students that character is dispensable so long as one has power or wealth. This essentially connotes the concept of teaching nonsense. Arising from the submission above, it will be expected that the National Universities Commission (NUC), working with the Committee of Pro- and Vice-Chancellors, produces a standardized framework.
The framework must specify criteria for the conferment of the honor and it must, as of necessity, include:Demonstrable contributions to human knowledge, culture, or innovation; Evidence of service to humanity or significant community development; Proven ethical integrity and a clean record without any known pending corruption cases or convictions. This national benchmark would ensure uniformity across institutions. In the implementation of the framework, the Universities will establish independent vetting committees. This committee that every university would establish will constitute the honorary awards committee and must be insulated from political or financial influence. The committee must include respected academics, alumni, and perhaps even external referees of high moral standing. Their task would be to screen nominees carefully, assess their track records, and submit recommendations to the university senate. Ordinarily, I would have suggested the inclusion of the officials of the anti-corruption bodies but these days, there are challenges in that sector also. I therefore will only counsel the procurement of input from them.
To guarantee transparency and public scrutiny, the universities will then publish their list of nominees ahead of convocation ceremonies, allowing room for objections or commendations from the public. Public accountability will ensure that controversial figures do not slip through the cracks. As unveiled above in Ethiopia, Serving politicians are barred from such awards. The framework must insist that honorary degrees should not be conferred on serving political office holders. A cooling-off period of at least five years after leaving office should apply. This ensures that society has had time to evaluate their legacies objectively. As proffered above, there must be sanctions accompanying the resolutions. Universities that flout the guidelines should face sanctions. The NUC could suspend their right to award honorary degrees for a specified number of years at the barest minimum while possibly criminalizing the abuse.
This deterrent would discourage abuse. The import of applying the antidote will now be the unveiling of the unsung heroes. Institutions will then be encouraged to honor innovators, cultural icons, teachers, scientists, and social workers who represent true merit. By spotlighting these unsung heroes, universities would inspire the youth to believe that character and contribution matter more than wealth or power. This will also lead to the restoration of the integrity of the awarding institutions. In addition, the Regulation would restore dignity to tertiary institutions. A university’s worth is not only in its infrastructure but in its reputation. When a university confers honors only on individuals of proven merit, it builds credibility both nationally and globally. This will also be a source of inspiration to the students. Imagine the inspiration a student feels when her university confers an honorary degree on a Nobel Laureate, a community health worker who saved thousands during an epidemic, or a teacher who dedicated 40 years to molding minds. That is the power of symbolism. The adoption of such unified framework that is the product of the stakeholders will boost the autonomy of the institutions. No entity or individual can then dictate to the university. Ironically, this implies that, by establishing such clear national guidelines, the universities gain protection and is insulated against political pressure. A Vice-Chancellor can politely decline political lobbying by pointing to national policy.
The further implication of this is the restoration of the battered national image. On the international stage, Nigerian universities would command greater respect. Currently, the credibility of our honorary degrees is questioned abroad because of the loose and inconsistent practices at home. The Regulation would reposition our institutions as serious custodians of knowledge and values. Globally, universities have withdrawn honorary degrees when recipients were later found wanting. Harvard University withdrew its honorary degree from Harvey Weinstein after his conviction. This shows that institutions must protect their reputations even retrospectively. Nigerian universities must be courageous enough to do the same. Again, Ghana Tertiary Education Commission recently deprecated the indiscriminate use honorary degrees. Ghana raised the alarm over the rise of so-called “degree mills”, dubious institutions awarding the honors for fees. The Commission has risen up to the challenge of the surge in the number of individuals falsely parading and identifying themselves as academic doctors or professors.
This is basically targeted at the misuse of the titles. Just as Ethiopia did, Ghana also frowns at the increasing public use of honorary titles, particularly by politicians, religious leaders and business figures describing such as “deceitful and unethical”, warning that it erodes the value of genuine academic achievement. To this end, the countries have banned the use of honorific academic titles in the public, outside the awarding institution, in order to preserve the integrity of the academic degrees. In rounding up, let me acknowledge the recent petition of a Coalition of Academics and Professors for Qualified Use of Academic titles (CAPQAT) led by one Prof. Adeyemi Jonhson Ademowo to the various regulators decrying the increasing abuse of the academic titles. I salute the group. The fact remains that honorary degrees are not mere ornaments; they are symbols of the values we cherish as a society. In their current unregulated state in Nigeria, they risk becoming tools of ridicule rather than instruments of honor. As a Yoruba proverb teaches us: “Orúko rere sàn ju wúrà àti fàdákà”, a good name is better than gold or silver. Let us, therefore, insist that our universities bestow their highest honors only on those whose names enhance, rather than diminish the prestige of the academy. Regulation is not the enemy of autonomy; it is its safeguard. It is the compass that will guide our institutions back to dignity.
By instituting national guidelines, independent vetting, public scrutiny, restrictions on serving politicians, and sanctions for abuse, we can restore trust in our tertiary institutions. Let the recipients of tomorrow’s honorary degrees be individuals whose lives teach our children that merit, service and integrity are the true measures of honor. Only then can we say, with clear conscience, that our universities remain citadels of learning, not marketplaces of favors. Let us not relegate the honorific degrees to the debased level that the award of National Honors is now assuming.
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