An honorary doctorate degree is awarded to persons that have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in a specific field or profession. It is also often given to persons who have made significant contributions to society. However, reverse is the case, as a lot of Nigerians now have the prefix, Dr, before their names. It is not uncommon for many of them to announce on social media or even celebrate these awards in the traditional media. Some others do not even announce it; they only make it public, especially politicians, when it becomes a contended issue. In this report, GBENGA SALAU looks at how these degrees are dished out by institutes and professional bodies that are not degree awarding institutions.

Kehinde Olawale is human relationship consultant and a life coach. He is one of the many Nigerians with the prefix, Dr, before their names. Though a graduate, he did not study for a doctoral degree. He was only given the award by a professional institute, which considered him a master in human capital development.

However, the recent trend is that a number of persons with Dr as prefix to their names, the honorary doctorate degrees they are parading were conferred by institutes and educational institutions not authorised to award first degrees, let alone, postgraduate degrees.

An honorary doctorate degree is given to a person that has demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in a specific field or profession. Also, often considered for the conferment are persons who have made significant contributions to society.

So, honorary doctorate degrees are not products of the traditional academic coursework or research, but awarded based on the beneficiaries’ attainment in society.

Thus, it is conferred on persons who have made significant contributions to society through philanthropy, activism or public service.

Professor Adele Jinadu stated that the practice of conferring honorary doctorate degrees on deserving recipients varies from university to university within and across countries, because every university will have a statute or law or regulation or similar instrument specifying the conditions for the award of honorary degrees by the university and the responsibilities attaching to the award.

“Every university, as laid down in its statute, will have a process for the nomination and approval of nominated candidates for the award of honorary doctorate by the university.”

He, nonetheless, maintained that typically honorary doctorate degrees are offered by universities or equivalent higher institutions of learning and research.

Before now, the manner with which Nigerian universities confer honorary doctorate degrees on beneficiaries had been criticised.

There were even the insinuation that some of the recipients procured the award, especially as in the eyes of the public, the beneficiaries were not worth being accorded such honours, as the recipients’ public service to humanity were not really noticeable.

Despite this, the new trend is for institutes, which are meant for bodies of professionals, with no authority to award degrees, now dish out honorary doctorate degrees to Nigerians.

These institutes, in fact, confer the honorary doctorate degrees on civil servants, politicians, religious leaders, businessmen and women as well as union leaders, even though these persons did not study to acquire the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) degree.

The practice of conferring honorary degrees on individuals, findings revealed, dates back to the middle ages, when universities decide to grant exemption to some or all of the usual statutory requirements for the award of a degree.

The earliest honorary degree on record, The Guardian checks revealed, was awarded to Lionel Woodville in the late 1470s by the University of Oxford.

Professor of Education Administration, Department of Education Management, Lagos State University, Olasunkanmi Abari, however, insists that only universities award honorary degrees and, conventionally, an awardee is privileged to make use of the title though, in written form, it must be put in parenthesis (Dr) to indicate that the degree is an honorary one.

The founder of Okanlawon Foundation, David Olusegun Okanlawon, is one of accomplished Nigerians who were awarded honorary doctorate degrees by professional institutes and not universities. He has a Doctor of Business Administration DBA (Honoris Causa) from the Maverick Business Academy, London, United Kingdom.

A check online, however revealed that Maverick Business Academy, London (MBA London) specialises in developing and delivering world class learning and part-time campus based programmes in the fields of business management, entrepreneurship, leadership, education, IT and computer science ranging from Level 3-7 diplomas, bachelors, masters, Ph.Ds, DBAs and European Professional Doctorate (EPD-EU) via top ranked partner universities in UK, USA, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, India and other EU Nations.

In same vein, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Grand Cubana and Cubana Signature Hotels, a subsidiary of the Cubana Group of Companies, Omoaefe Ejere, was conferred an honorary doctorate degree in corporate leadership, marketing and tourism management by the Institute of Leadership Manpower and Management Development (ILMMD), United Kingdom.

On the institute’s site, its profile reads: “The Institute of Leadership Manpower and Management Development (ILMMD) is a professional body most revered for administrative and leadership prestige competences; with our membership composed of: Top, middle and lower-level executives and administrators; as well as leadership, manpower and management development experts, specialists, coaches, consultants, trainers and spokespersons.

“The ILMMD is Africa’s prestige professional body for leaders, development executives, specialists, business experts, spokespersons, practitioners, administrators, consultants, entrepreneurs, politicians, philanthropists, ambassadors, coaches, etc., who utilise leadership, manpower (human resources) and management as their most indispensable resources for development.

“The ILMMD is an APHA University licensed under CAMA1, Caps 59, 990; Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (LFN).”

Also, the Institute of Corporate and Public Sector Professionals (ICPSP) has equally bestowed honorary doctorate degrees on a number of persons including, the former Head of Service in Lagos State, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola.

“The Institute of Corporate and Public Sector Professionals of Nigeria is a nonprofit membership and research organisation for corporate and public sector professionals.

“The ICPSP is dedicated to supporting professionals whose daily effort impact people’s lives in ways that are felt far beyond the workplace; by helping to create better managers and leaders, we are creating a better society,” the institute said.

A number of Nigerians have also been conferred honorary doctorate degrees by the M-Gibes College of Business and Management, UK (MGCBM).

And for M-Gibes College of Business and Management, UK (MGCBM), the honorary doctorate degree is being procured because the beneficiaries have to pay and the location the award would be conferred also determines what would be paid.

It has three locations where it confers the honorary doctorate degree on recipients, Lagos, Portugal and Dubai. The fee for Dubai is between $7,000 and $10,000; for Portugal, €12,000 is the fee, while in Lagos, the awardees pay N1.8m.

For those to be honored in Lagos, the certificate will be issued by Maverick Business Academy, London, United Kingdom; those to be awarded in Dubai, the certificate could be issued by either of these three institutions: Azteca University, Mexico; American University in Switzerland; or Maverick Business Academy, London, while those to be conferred the award in Portugal, the certificate will be issued by Azteca University, Mexico.

In one of its announcement online for recipients to come forward or apply to be honored, it claimed: “The nomination comes from the general public and is screened by the Board of M-Gibes College of Business & Management, UK in partnership with MG Business Solutions and the Council of the awarding Institution.”

It added that there is a participation fee, which covers honorary doctorate certificate from Maverick Business Academy, London; diplomat gown, souvenirs and buffet dinner with three guests.

The Institution has bias for African leaders because in its announcement, it stated, “the event is to honour African leaders in Africa and Asia who have excelled and distinguished themselves in their chosen fields for them to be acknowledged, recognised, and celebrated worldwide.”

A verification of the profile of M-Gibes College of Business and Management, UK (MGCBM) online revealed that it is a business school based in Ghana, Nigeria, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and an administrative office in London, United Kingdom, giving international students access to outstanding business and management faculties from around the world.

Mr. Olubukola Abitoye, Chief Executive Officer of Digital Space Capital is one of the people conferred with a doctoral fellow of International Certified Risk Management Professionals (ICRMP), United Kingdom.

A perusal online for ICRMP profile revealed that ICRMP is a risk administration training Institute.

Kazeem Yekinni was also conferred with an honorary doctorate degree by the Chartered Institute of Public Resources Management and Politics, Ghana, in Lagos.

But on its website, the Chartered Institute of Public Resources Management & Politics, Ghana said it is an international institute headquartered in Ghana with liaison offices in Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia and Kenya.

“We are professionally structured to enhance the mechanism of corporate governance with a view to training potential leaders from the public and private economic sectors to become world class corporate policy makers and management experts which we trust that will be the drivers in the vehicle of national economic development and productivity.”

Looking through the information in its website, findings revealed that majority of those that have been conferred with doctorate degrees are Nigerians judging from their names.

It was gathered that around 2015, the National Universities Commission (NUC), as part of its oversight functions, was bothered about the abuse in the award of honorary doctorate degrees by Nigerian universities.

It then announced that it would hold a meeting with vice-chancellors of universities because many of those been awarded honorary doctorate degrees did not meet required standards for the conferment.

An attempt was made earlier in 2012 by Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities to ensure maximum standard in the award of honorary doctorate degrees. The association then said it plans to ban the award of honorary degrees to political holders or appointees by universities.

MC Oluomo displaying his certificate after being conferred honourary doctorate degree by an institute, a non-degree awarding educational institution.

The then Secretary-General of the association, Prof. Michael Faborode, said it was as a result of the erosion of academic culture and tradition.

He then said, as report In a national newspaper, that: “The award of degree should be given to any professional who has made significant or groundbreaking discoveries in the areas of accomplishments, invention, and innovation among others to societal development.

“This should not be tied to wealth consideration or political alignment; rather it should be based on leadership, service and the contribution of the recipient to social and economic development of the society.”

Faborode also said the association agreed that universities should not award honorary degree if it has not graduated any PhD or has no post-graduate school.

Commenting further, Abari wondered how and what would qualify institutes to award doctorate degrees if not universities.

“Moreover, as you have observed, these institutes are not degree awarding, not even first or second degree, let alone third and doctorate degree albeit honorary.

“However, going by the appellation, these degrees are meant to honour important dignitaries in the society that are indeed worthy and deserving. Thus, in consonance with that popular parlance, honour should be given to whom honour is due.

“Meanwhile, only universities do award honorary degrees and, conventionally, an awardee is privileged to make use of the title though, in written form that title is put in brackets (Dr.) to indicate that the degree is not a full-fledged but an honorary one.

“On a final note, the question, especially these days, is the objectivity in the choice and selection of the one to be so recognised as honourable in Nigeria. What criteria are to be strictly considered in awarding honourary doctorate degrees?”

To be qualified to receive the honorary doctorate degree, Abari said social contributions to the society not necessarily monetary or political are the criteria that readily come to mind.

“But, today, money, politicians, religion and flamboyance have become our tin gods in Nigeria. And the academics have also joined in this regard thereby giving honourary doctorate degrees to undeserving elements in the society, to every Tom, Dick and Harry,” Abari stated.

Surprisingly, in many instances, the conferment of these honorary doctorate degrees by these institutes and professional bodies is not done during convocation ceremony. It is either done at a ceremony dedicated solely for the conferment of the award or at the offices of the recipients.

Sharing his view on that, Jinadu argued that if the circumstances make it necessary or unavoidable, but such circumstances are atypical and, perhaps, rare. He further said that the general practice is to award honorary degrees to the awardees/recipients during convocations for the award of degrees and diplomas by the university.

Also, these categories of awarding institutions are in the penchants of asking recipients to pay one form of fees or the other, Jinadu insisted that honorary doctorate degrees are not and should not be sold and/or paid for.

“They are and should be awarded in recognition of remarkable service to community and to the wider national and international society and in a manner that significantly advances, promotes and strengthens intellectual and social life.

“In other words, the award should not be commercialised or turned into a quid pro quo transaction or fundraising venture for the university. To turn it into such is to debase the very idea of a university,” Jinadu stated.

On his part, a public affair commentator, Babatunde Philip, said that the government needs to look into the issue as it is debasing not just the award of honorary doctorate degrees but also those who work tirelessly to bag doctorate degrees through course works and research.

“The way many Nigerians prefix Dr before their names does not help to know those who actually work for it and those who procure it in the market. It is important that government or its agency provide some form of oversight.

“I also learnt that there is a rule guiding the use of Dr as a prefix to a name by those who earn it by honorary doctorate degree. So, I feel the government should empower the appropriate agencies to monitor it and enforce it to differentiate who worked for their doctorate degree through research and those who were honoured. This I think will reduce the craze with which Nigerians go after bagging honorary doctorate degrees from mushroom institutions,” Philip stated.

A mail was sent to the Office of Students, United Kingdom to check on the authenticity of some of the institutions.

One of the ceremonies for the conferment of honourary doctorate degrees by Maverick Business Academy, London, United Kingdom

On its website, the Office said it regulates higher education system in England, working in the interests of students and prospective students from all backgrounds, including:undergraduates and postgraduates,students studying full-time and part-time as well as those based on campus and learning at a distance.

In the mail to Office of Students, enquiry was made if the following educational organisations have the authority to award degrees, especially honorary doctorate degrees. The institutions listed include: M-Gibes College of Business and Management (MGCBM), United Kingdom; Maverick Business Academy, London, United Kingdom; Institute of Leadership Manpower and Management Development (ILMMD) United Kingdom, and International Certified Risk Management Professionals (ICRMP), United Kingdom.

Responding to the mail, Public Information Officer, Strategy, Delivery and Communications Directorate, Cameron Cottrell, said that they are unable to provide any information on the mentioned providers as they are not registered with the Office for Students.

Similarly, the NUC was contacted. And the Director, Public Affairs, National University Commission (NUC), MallamHarunaAjo, said that the NUC does not regulate the award of honorary doctorate, as each and every university is empowered by law to do the needful on that.

He said that the university senate and council are expected to confer the honorary doctorate degree based on its laid down rules and regulations.

“Those are the major decision making bodies and they are expected to be guided by policies and principles of the organs of the institutions. So the NUC does not re

Ajo maintained that it is wrong for any non-degree award educational institutions to be awarding honourary doctorate degrees. “

“Normally, any institution that awards degrees are the ones that can give honourary degrees, because it is also a degree/ so any university that does not have a senate, it is not permissible for that institute or whatever names it is called to award such kind degrees.

“That is why it is only the universities that normally award such degrees. Of course, there were some organisations that attempt to do that, but it is a misnomer. We have had cause to draw the attention of some institutions that tried it that they cannot. There was a time the French Language Village and the Nigeria Language Village attempted to do that and we told them that they do not have a senate.

“And we also told them to go back to the laws establishing the institutions. But some of them will go through the back door to the National Assembly to amend the laws establishing them without the knowledge of the NUC.

“But when such institutions want to award such honorary degrees and we get to know, we tell them that they do not have the powers as they do not have a senate and authority to award what they do not have.”

On some foreign institutions coming to Nigeria to award honourary doctorate degrees, Ajo said that most of them are fake. “What they tell you is that they are going to give you that award, but only to ask for money days later. And the award should not be for sale.”

On if NUC is not bothered about that development, he said that the NUC is bothered. “If we know and have their names, we are going to engage them. Even though our rules apply only to Nigerian institutions but we have collaboration with most of the quality assurance agencies worldwide. So, we engage such organisations and tell them and ask if those institutions are accredited and known by them or if they are fake. We always do that. If you can help us with the names, we would take action,”Ajo stated. (The Guardian)

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