Addresses Self as Dr. Pascal Chibuike Okechukwu in Campaign Poster
- Safiu Kehinde
Nigerian businessman and socialite, Pascal Okechkuwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, has ignored the Federal Government’s ban on the use of honourary doctorate degrees titles as he addressed himself as Dr. Pascal Chibuike Okechukwu in his campaign poster.
Cubana Chief Priest had on Thursday violated the FG’s directive in series of campaign post shared on his Instagram.
NPO Reported that the Director-General of the City Boy Movement, Imo State Chapter, had last week participated in the All Progressives Congress (APC) screening exercise days after declaring interest in the Orlu, Orsu, and Oru East’s Federal Constituency seat at the House of Representatives.
In furtherance of his aspiration Cubana Chief Priest would release his campaign posters with ‘Hon. Dr.’ designation, violating the Federal Government’s ban on the use of the title.
Recall that the FG had earlier this month banned recipients of honorary degrees from prefixing “Dr” to their names in official, academic, or professional usage.
It declared that the use of the title by such recipients constitutes a misrepresentation of academic credentials, which will henceforth be treated as academic fraud, with attendant legal and reputational consequences.
The ban was further backed by the Federal Executive Council’s (FEC) approval of a uniform policy for the award and use of honorary degrees by Nigerian universities.
The policy, as explained by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, is designed to end what he described as decades of indiscriminate conferral of degrees for political patronage and financial gain, and to restore public confidence in the integrity of academic titles.
Under the new policy, recipients of honourary doctorates are advised to rather cite the full honorary designation after their name than using ‘Dr.’
“For instance, you can use Chief Louis Clark, D.Lit. (Doctor of Literature, Honoris Causa)” or “Mrs Miriam Adamu, LL.D. Hons.” The minister had said as quoted in a report by the Punch newspaper.