The European-American University has disowned a purported honorary doctorate degree conferred on popular Hausa musician, Dauda Kahutu Rarara, describing it as fake.

The musician was awarded the degree on Saturday at a ceremony held at Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja, attended by dignitaries including the Governor of Katsina State, Dikko Radda. The event organisers presented themselves as representatives of the university.

However, in a statement published on its official website, the institution denied authorising the event or conferring any honorary degree on Mr Rarara.

“The University has not authorized any convocation to be held in this location today, and this event has been organized fraudulently without the knowledge or consent of the University,” the statement read.

The university also said it did not confer degrees on other recipients mentioned at the event, including Alhaji Ahmed Saleh jnr., Mustapha Abdullahi Bujawa, and Tarela Boroh.

It added that the individuals who paraded themselves as its officials — including Musari Audu Isyaku, who claimed to be its Northern Nigeria representative, and Idris Aliyu, who posed as a member of its governing council — had no authority to act on its behalf. The institution stressed that it does not have a governing council and has revoked Mr Aliyu’s previous fellowship appointment for his role in the alleged fraud.

The statement further clarified that its current Vice Chancellor is Professor Luca Scotto di Tella de’ Douglas di Castel di Ripa, not Dr Josephine Egbuta, a former vice chancellor dismissed earlier this year.

The university also dismissed claims about being based in Dominica and Panama, stating it is legally registered in France and holds a Royal Charter of Incorporation from the Kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara in Uganda.

It added that it would be contacting Nigerian authorities to take action against those behind the fraudulent convocation.

Unidentified gunmen stormed the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Damaturu, Yobe State, in the early hours of Friday, September 19, 2025.

The attackers shot a police officer guarding the building, injuring him in the leg.

The incident happened around 2am, leaving the officer badly wounded.

Crisis is brewing over an alleged move by the management of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, ATBU, Bauchi, to phase out all faculties and programmes not related to science and technology.

Addressing a press conference, the Bauchi State Citizens Forum — made up of professors, lawyers, and civil society activists — condemned the plan, describing it as a “regression” and a “bad omen” for the institution.

The group’s leader, Dr. Abdullahi Yelwa, revealed that a recent meeting between the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and ATBU’s management confirmed the development.

“It is clear that ATBU’s leadership is considering closing faculties such as Management Sciences, which will deny thousands of prospective students, especially those from Bauchi State, the chance to acquire university education,” Yelwa said.

However, ATBU management has dismissed claims that it is planning to scrap certain courses and shut down some faculties and departments in the institution, describing the allegations as unfounded, and a figment of the imagination of those peddling them.

The Director of Information and Public Relations of ATBU, Mr. Zailani Bappa, made the clarification while addressing journalists at the Press Centre of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, in Bauchi.

He stressed that the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ibrahim Hassan, has no intention of scrapping any faculty or discontinuing any academic programme in the university.

“There are essentially two issues raised in the press statement by the Bauchi State Concerned Citizens. None of these allegations is true because the Vice-Chancellor has not taken any such action,” Bappa stated.

He explained that the controversy arose from a recent meeting convened by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who summoned all Vice-Chancellors and Governing Council Chairmen of federal universities and informed them of the Federal Government’s decision to ensure that all universities strictly adhere to their founding mandates.

“As you all know, ATBU was established as a technology-based university. Over time, other management-related courses were introduced. Now, the Federal Government insists that such universities must return to their original mandate. This is not the Vice-Chancellor’s decision, nor that of the Governing Council, but a directive that must be implemented,” he clarified.

On the suspension of funding for the Directorate of Distance Learning, Bappa explained that since most of its programmes are management-related, continuing to fund the directorate under the new policy direction would amount to a waste of resources.

As a result, according to him, funding of the directorate has been temporarily put on hold in line with the Federal Government’s directive.

He therefore appealed for understanding from the Bauchi State Concerned Citizens and other stakeholders, adding that the matter was beyond the Vice-Chancellor and Governing Council, as they lack the power to alter the policy.

Instead, he urged stakeholders to rally support for the senator representing Bauchi South Senatorial District, Shehu Buba Umar, in his efforts to ensure that the law establishing ATBU as a technology-based institution is amended to allow for a wider range of courses.

According to him, “Unless the law is amended to convert ATBU into a conventional university, there is nothing anyone can do to stop the current process of reverting to the original mandate.”