The Federal Government has prohibited holders of honorary degrees from using the title “Dr” before their names, warning that such practice amounts to academic misrepresentation.
It said offenders risk legal and reputational consequences, as the misuse will now be classified as academic fraud.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, while briefing journalists on recent approvals by the Federal Executive Council.
According to him, the council endorsed a new national policy to regulate the conferment and usage of honorary degrees by Nigerian universities.
Alausa said the policy was introduced to address what he described as widespread abuse of honorary awards, often driven by political patronage and financial interests.
He said, “The recent trend we’ve seen with the award of honorary degrees has revealed a growing abuse and politicisation of this academic privilege.”
Under the directive, recipients of honorary degrees are no longer permitted to prefix “Dr” to their names in any official or professional capacity.
Instead, they are required to reflect the honorary nature of the award by placing the designation after their names.
“Recipients shall not prefix doctor to their names in official, academic or professional usage. Misrepresentation of honorary degrees as earned academic credentials shall be considered academic fraud,” the minister stated.
He explained that acceptable formats include titles such as D.Lit (Honoris Causa) or LL.D (Hons), which clearly distinguish honorary awards from earned academic qualifications.
The policy also restricts Nigerian universities to awarding only four categories of honorary degrees Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Letters, Doctor of Science, and Doctor of Humanities.
In addition, institutions without active PhD programmes have been barred from conferring honorary degrees.
Alausa said the measure was necessary to curb the growing trend of newly established universities awarding such honours despite lacking advanced research capacity.
He added that all honorary certificates must explicitly indicate their status as “honorary” or “Honoris Causa.”
The minister disclosed that the National Universities Commission would enforce compliance, while the Ministry of Education would monitor implementation, including activities at convocation ceremonies.
He also revealed that the government would publish an annual register of legitimate honorary degree recipients as part of efforts to protect the credibility of academic qualifications.
The move comes amid longstanding concerns over the commercialisation of honorary degrees in Nigeria’s university system, with critics accusing some institutions of using the awards as tools for influence and patronage.
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