NewStats: 3,262,601 , 8,177,660 topics. Date: Monday, 02 June 2025 at 11:58 PM 1i2472

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The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, yesterday decried the abuse of honorary degrees by universities in the country, revealing that he turned down 17 offers during his eight-year tenure as Lagos State governor between 2007 and 2015.

According to a statement issued yesterday by his Special Adviser on Communications, Mr. Hakeem Bello, the minister made this known when the Committee of Vice-Chancellors/Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities paid him a courtesy visit.

The former governor, who said he stopped the award of honorary degrees in the Lagos State University (LASU), noted that honorary degrees must be conferred on awardees based on merit and not because they occupy political offices or command socio-economic powers.

“We said, look we are going to be different and for two or three years we did not award any Honorary Degree because truly the idea of Honorary Degree is an important building block of society and once we throw those blocks away or make them unviable then the purpose for it is lost.

“In my eight years in office I had 17 offers and I didn’t take one. I told them to wait until when I was out of office and if they still find me worthy they should then come back, and when I was out of office only one came back.

“The point I want to make is that we have to encourage our children to work hard. What have these honorees of the universities done to deserve the honour? What of those who have become undeserving, will you go back and tell them to return the degrees, that they don’t deserve it anymore?”

He also charged the dons on the need to come up with “an acceptable version” of the History of Nigeria.

“There is one thing you can do for Nigeria. Bring all these people together to start work on one acceptable version of Nigeria’s history. It is that version that can be thought in primary and secondary schools, because that is what is happening in other countries. They fought wars too but they have written one final version of their history. When you have written that final version it will be thought in our primary and secondary schools,” the minister added.

THISDAY

My brara Forget it many if these honorary degree is a yoke according to Calabar man

Abeg jare , I will Design a Professional Logo for your product or Business for 2k Only

This rocket science man just wanna trend small, as it seems we are forgetting about him.. it only actually shows how lost of educational sector seema, that ought too be the thinking faculty of the nation.. everything is politicised, just rare people with integrity. we stan

Interesting

So , who dis one help

i know they won't come back. Fashola wey stingy like madt

Are we supposed to applaud this?

I see. Mr overhype

Hmm.
He is right by the way but I disagree with the 'acceptable' version of Nigeria's history. I feel there will be alterations which wont be good for our development. The populace needs to know the undiluted truth about the history of Nigeria and not one cooked acceptable version. Acceptable by who if I may ask

H

Well, he is quite right though.

lol only one returned after he left the governorship seat? our education system has been bastardized

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Honourary award should be on merit but Naija has turn it to something else

It is what it is "honorary"- it has zero value.

I know a university will soon give Regina Daniel mother honorary degree for giving her daughter to Nwoko, it have been seriously abused

You can buy anything in this country, especially if you are in a political office

Praise god I just won 2 million naira cash from Bet9ja

Mr. 6 Months Rocket Science Just give us light. All these talk does not affect/concern majority of Nigerians

Seriously

Sensible submission

lol if to say na that your ministerial post you turn down eh for make sense but that useless honorary degree and you expect us to clap for you! F*ck off

Hmmm

You say?

If you get money...you can buy any degree you want as far as Nigeria is concerned

Good one from you sir

Trade by barter degrees.

Maxymilliano:
Well, he is quite right though.

He's very right. Some Universities use it to curry favour from Political Appointees. Nothing more