Varsities Comply With Honorary Degree Directive

The Association of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities says universities have partially complied with the directive on the award of honorary degree to political office holders since the Keffi Declaration.
The Secretary-General of the Association, Prof. Michael Faborode, told newsmen in Abuja  last week that a lot of members in the association had complied while some had yet to comply.
It will be recalled  that a guideline on the Keffi Declaration was released at the 27th conference of the association held in Nasarawa State in 2012.
The aim of the declaration was to reduce the indiscriminate award of honorary degree and restore the age-long university culture and tradition of best practises.
The association noted that most of the awards were based on wealth, political office and position as a means of generating revenue with little or no consideration for integrity.
The association also noted that there was neither contribution to the development of the university nor consideration for national development.
The declaration urged universities to make it a policy not to bestow honorary degree on any person holding political office while still in service.
“As far as Keffi Declaration is concerned, I am sure that we have had slight compliance generally; the atmosphere in various universities has been tempered.
“There have been one or two places of unconscious non-compliance because they claim that some of the decisions had been taken before the Keffi Declaration.
“But I think in another year or so, we will have 100 per cent compliance, so that the system’s integrity can be properly restored.
“So we are quite happy with how far the compliance has been for members in respect of the Keffi Declaration.’’