The Need To Regulate Issuance Of Honorary Doctorate Degrees

The Federal Government, through Federal Ministry of Education and other Regulatory Agencies and Bodies, should regulate issuance of Honorary Doctorate Degrees, its Appellation and Usage.

I say the above because it is becoming an Intellectual nuisance and menace the way and manner many who have not seen the four walls of university buy Honorary Doctorate Degrees from different institutions and mushroom houses masquerading under different guises.

This has become imperative because of the hell people who are into Academics go through to acquire Bachelor Degrees, Postgraduate Diploma, Masters Degree before acquiring Doctor of Philosophy Degree (Ph.D) in their respective fields and areas of studies and socialization.

On the average people spend close to fifteen years or even more to acquire a Ph.D. For the purposes of clarity and proper understanding, some spend between four (4) to six(6) years for First Degree depending on the course and field of study.

While those with good grades proceed to Masters programme direct, those who graduate with Third Class and Pass are mandated to do Postgraduate Diploma for a duration of nine(9) months to one (1)year to prequalify them for Masters that takes another two(2) to three(3)years.

Doctorate programmes in some schools is between three(3) to four(4)years but some even last up to seven(7) to ten(10) years largely due to the pace of the students and in other cases due to their Supervisors.

The process of acquiring those Academic Degrees are mixed with sweet and bitter experiences and memories including the great and outstanding personalities and characters that you meet in the respective ivory towers and citadels of learnings.

Now for people in the above categories that go through the rigours to acquire those Degrees, they don’t only earn them, they also cherish them because they know the value. But same cannot be said about some of the political Doctorate Titles that are flying everywhere.

In real sense of its word, Honorary Doctorate, which in Latin is Honoris Causa or Ad Honore, is a situation where Universities waive all requirements and Confer or Award it to persons who have distinguished themselves in different areas like Music, Sports, Literature, Medicine, Banking, etc.

The framers or those who conceptualized the above never meant it for petty politics like those that are prevalent in our climes where every Tom, Dick and Harry who have not even gone to school are getting arranged mushroom Honorary Doctorate Degrees.

The trivialization and commonization of Honorary Doctorate Degrees has necessitated the need for relevant bodies and regulatory agencies to streamline and possibly put in place stringent conditions and requirements for the Conferment, Award or Acquisition of Honorary Doctorate Degrees and further delineate same to distinguish between Honorary Doctorate Degree and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D).

The distinction will save those in Academics unimaginable pains of seeing daft parading their consciences as Doctors without knowing the unquantifiable sacrifices and prices of acquiring a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) degree.

– Most Senior Comrade Wisdom Oniekpar Ikuli a.k.a Mirror and Conscience of Society, the Intellectual Giant cum Iroko.