The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has announced the approval of a uniform policy aimed at checking the growing abuse and politicisation of honorary degrees, including the practice of awarding them to serving public officials.
Addressing State House correspondents, the minister said the policy was among approvals granted at the last Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu.
Alausa, who was accompanied by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmed, expressed concern over what he called the growing proliferation and misuse of honorary degrees by some tertiary institutions.
He noted that attempts to regulate the practice had existed since 2012, when university administrators raised concerns, but enforcement had remained weak due to lack of legal backing.
According to him, the new framework introduces strict eligibility requirements for universities seeking to award honorary degrees.
