A number of Nigerian academics have raised concerns over the increasing misuse and commercialisation of prestigious academic titles such as “Dr” and “Professor,” warning that the trend threatens the credibility of the nation’s higher education system.
Speaking with The PUNCH, Professor of Crop Physiology and Nutrition, Olabode Lucas, noted that the indiscriminate use of such titles undermines the rigorous intellectual labour of those who genuinely earned them. According to him, while honorary degrees exist in other countries, recipients rarely use them as prefixes to their names.
“Our challenge in this country is that many Nigerians prefer to be addressed with titles, regardless of merit. Even entertainers with no academic background now parade themselves as ‘doctors’ or ‘professors.’ In England, where I studied, honorary doctorate holders never use them as academic prefixes. Sadly, in Nigeria, people misuse these titles to gain undue recognition,” Lucas explained.
He criticised universities for contributing to the problem by awarding honorary doctorates to wealthy donors, stressing that some institutions had even conferred professorial titles on individuals with no teaching or research background. “This debases the value of our academic system,” he added, calling on the Federal Government to halt practices that erode the integrity of higher education.
Similarly, Dr. Bayo Busari, a senior lecturer at Lead City University, Ibadan, blamed the abuse of titles on society’s obsession with status symbols. He described many recipients of honorary PhDs as “pretenders” who deliberately seek such awards for social prestige. He stressed that the difference between a degree earned through rigorous research and one conferred for other reasons must be made clear.
Busari urged universities to set clear conditions for the use of honorary titles and withdraw them when abused. “Awarding institutions must prioritise integrity over financial gains if these honours are to retain their dignity,” he said.
In a related move, the Coalition of Academics and Professors for Qualified Use of Academic Titles condemned the growing trade in fake academic distinctions. In a petition signed by its convener, Professor Adeyemi Ademowo, the group described the trend as a national embarrassment and a major threat to the credibility of Nigerian academia.
The coalition accused unaccredited foreign institutions of selling honorary degrees to Nigerians, who then misuse them at home, while some professionals and businessmen style themselves as “professors” based on affiliations with unrecognised bodies. “Every fake ‘Dr’ or self-styled ‘Professor’ diminishes the hard work of genuine scholars,” the petition stated.
The group highlighted existing laws such as the Criminal Code Act, the NUC Act, and the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria Act, which criminalise falsification of academic qualifications. However, it lamented poor enforcement and called for stronger action, including:
- Prosecution of offenders
- Blacklisting of unaccredited institutions
- Public education campaigns on the limits of honorary degrees
- Creation of a joint task force involving the NUC, Ministry of Education, DSS, and police to monitor misuse of academic titles
The coalition warned that failure to act decisively would expose Nigeria to ridicule in the global academic community.
