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European-American University Denies Awarding Honorary Degree To Tinubu’s Musician Rarara, Revokes Fellowship Of Nigerian Professor Over Fraud
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
European-American University has refuted claims circulating in sections of the Nigerian press that it conferred honorary doctorate degrees on Hausa musician Dauda Kahutu Rarara, a staunch supporter of President Bola Tinubu, along with several other individuals.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the institution dismissed as false reports that it held a convocation ceremony at NICON Luxury Hotel in Abuja, describing the event as “fraudulent and unauthorized.”
“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 persons organizing this event appear to have deceived others into believing they represented European-American University, but this was entirely false.”
The University empemphasised that it had not awarded honorary degrees to Rarara, Alhaji Ahmed Saleh Jnr., Mustapha Abdullahi Bujawa, or Tarela Boroh.
It further clarified that all legitimate degree holders are listed publicly in its Register of Graduates and that the names mentioned in Nigerian media reports do not appear there.
The statement also discredited claims that one Musari Audu Isyaku acted as the University’s representative in Northern Nigeria, calling the assertion “false and unauthorized.”
In a decisive move, the University revoked the fellowship previously granted to Prof. Aliyu Idris in 2024, citing his involvement in the fraudulent activity.
Idris, who had been accorded professorial status in Financial Management, was accused of falsely presenting himself as a governing council member and official representative of the Vice Chancellor.
The University reaffirmed that its current Vice Chancellor is Professor Luca Scotto di Tella de’ Douglas di Castel di Ripa, and reiterated that Dr. Josephine Egbuta, a former Vice Chancellor dismissed earlier this year, no longer has authority to act on its behalf.
Clarifying its legal standing, the University stated it is established as a nonprofit institution in France and holds a Royal Charter of Incorporation from the Kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara in Uganda.
It rejected claims linking it simultaneously to Dominica and Panama, calling those outdated associations.
The University pledged to work with Nigerian authorities to halt the activities of individuals issuing fake certificates and urged that they face the full weight of the law.
