The Federal Government has banned recipients of honorary degrees from using the “Dr” title, declaring the practice a misrepresentation of academic credentials and warning it will now be treated as fraud.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, announced the directive on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja while briefing State House correspondents, following approvals by the Federal Executive Council.
He said the new policy introduces a uniform framework for the award and use of honorary degrees by Nigerian universities, aimed at curbing abuse and restoring the credibility of academic titles.
Alausa explained that honorary degree holders must no longer prefix “Dr” to their names in any official, academic, or professional setting. Instead, recipients are required to use the full honorary designation after their names to clearly indicate the nature of the award.
“For instance, you can write Chief Louis Clark, D.Lit. (Doctor of Literature, Honoris Causa) or Mrs Miriam Adamu, LL.D. Hons,” he said.
He added that any attempt to present honorary degrees as earned qualifications would be regarded as academic fraud, with legal and reputational consequences.
The minister noted that the policy seeks to address longstanding concerns about the politicisation and commercialisation of honorary degrees, which he said have often been awarded for financial or political patronage rather than merit.
Under the new rules, universities are restricted to awarding only four types of honorary doctorates: Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Letters, Doctor of Science, and Doctor of Humanities.
Institutions without active PhD programmes are barred from conferring honorary degrees, a move targeting newer universities that lack postgraduate research capacity.
Alausa also said all honorary degrees must clearly state “honorary” or “Honoris Causa” on certificates and in all references.
The minister recalled that previous efforts by the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, including the 2012 Keffi Declaration, failed due to lack of legal backing.
He said the latest policy now has full executive approval, giving it enforceable authority.
The Federal Ministry of Education, alongside the National Universities Commission, will issue guidelines to universities and monitor compliance, including during convocation ceremonies.
The government also plans to publish an annual list of legitimate honorary degree recipients and work with the media to discourage misuse of academic titles.
