The European-American University (EAU) has disowned the honorary doctorate degree purportedly awarded to Hausa musician, Dauda Kahutu Rarara, at a ceremony in Abuja, describing the event as fraudulent and unauthorized.
The ceremony, held on Saturday at NICON Luxury Hotel and attended by dignitaries including Katsina State Governor Dikko Radda, saw Rarara and three others paraded as recipients of honorary degrees allegedly from the institution.
In a statement published on its website, EAU said it did not sanction the convocation and had not conferred degrees on Rarara, Alhaji Ahmed Saleh Jnr., Mustapha Abdullahi Bujawa, or Tarela Boroh. It added that genuine graduates and honorees can only be verified through its official register.
The university also disowned individuals linked to the event, including Musari Audu Isyaku—described falsely as its Northern Nigeria representative—and Idris Aliyu, who was wrongly presented as a Governing Council member.
The institution clarified it has no such governing council and announced the immediate revocation of Mr. Aliyu’s 2024 fellowship over his role in the scandal.
It further noted that its former Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Josephine Egbuta, was dismissed earlier this year and no longer holds any authority to represent the school.
EAU stressed that it is legally established in France and recognized by a Royal Charter from the Kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara in Uganda, dismissing claims of operations in Dominica or Panama.
The university said it will alert Nigerian authorities to take legal action against the perpetrators behind the fake awards.
