Suspend award to Tazanian president, Falana tells varsity

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has urged the Senate of Nasarawa State University, Keffi to suspend its planned honorary doctorate award to Tanzania’s President, Samia Hassan. Falana cited alleged human rights violations under President Hassan’s administration. NSUK had announced that President Hassan would be a guest of honour at its 25th anniversary ceremony scheduled for April 11, 2026, where she is to receive a Doctor of Letters Honoris Causa. Falana stated that President Hassan’s administration is committing egregious human rights violations including unlawful killings, torture, excessive use of force and enforced disappearances against the Tanzanian people. He alleged that her government has been linked to unlawful killings, torture, enforced disappearances, and excessive use of force against citizens, including protesters challenging the credibility of the country’s 2025 elections. The senior lawyer emphasized that universities, as centers of knowledge and ethical leadership, must not appear indifferent to violations of fundamental rights. He added that honorary degrees are symbolic endorsements of integrity and public service, and granting such recognition under the circumstances would undermine the spirit of the Nigerian Constitution and international human rights obligations. Falana also called on the National Universities Commission to investigate whether NSUK’s decision aligned with its February 2026 guidelines on honorary degrees,