THE Federal Government on Wednesday announced a ban on recipients of honorary degrees from prefixing “Dr” to their names in official, academic, or professional usage, declaring that such practice amounts to a misrepresentation of academic credentials.
News Point Nigeria reports that the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this at the Presidential Villa in Abuja while briefing State House correspondents on two approvals granted by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) but not announced during the April 30 cabinet meeting.
Alausa, who appeared alongside the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmad, said the FEC approved a uniform national policy regulating the award and usage of honorary degrees by Nigerian universities.
According to the minister, the new policy is aimed at ending what he described as decades of indiscriminate conferment of honorary degrees for political patronage and financial gain, while restoring public confidence in the integrity of academic titles.
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.
“We’ve seen awards being used for political patronage, for financial gain, as well as the conferral of awards on serving public officials, which, as part of the ethics of honorary degree awards, should not happen.”
Under the newly approved policy, recipients of honorary degrees will no longer be permitted to use the title “Dr” before their names.
Instead, they are required to place the honorary designation after their names in full.
Giving examples, Alausa said, “For instance, you can use Chief Louis Clark, D.Lit. (Doctor of Literature, Honoris Causa)” or “Mrs Miriam Adamu, LL.D. Hons.”
He explained that the format is intended to clearly distinguish honorary awards from academically earned qualifications.
“Recipients shall not prefix doctor to their names in official, academic or professional usage,” the minister stated.
He further warned that any attempt to present honorary awards as earned academic qualifications would now attract serious consequences.
“Misrepresentation of honorary degrees as earned academic credentials shall be considered academic fraud and subject to legal and reputational consequences,” he added.
The new policy also limits the categories of honorary degrees Nigerian universities are allowed to confer to four recognised types: Doctor of Laws (LL.D), Doctor of Letters (D.Lit), Doctor of Science (D.Sc), and Doctor of Humanities (D.Arts).
In addition, universities without active PhD-awarding programmes have been barred from conferring honorary degrees.
Alausa said the restriction was introduced to curb the growing trend of relatively new institutions—some less than five years old—awarding honorary doctorates despite lacking postgraduate research capacity.
The minister further stated that all honorary degree certificates and references must explicitly include the words “honorary” or “Honoris Causa.”
For years, Nigeria’s academic community has raised concerns over the commercialisation and politicisation of honorary degrees, with universities frequently accused of awarding such honours to wealthy donors, politicians, and public officials in exchange for patronage rather than merit.
In 2012, the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities attempted to address the issue through the Keffi Declaration, which outlined guiding principles for the award of honorary degrees.
However, Alausa noted that the declaration lacked legal and executive backing, making enforcement difficult.
He said, “The association doesn’t have any legal backing to enforce anything.
“That is why we brought this to the Federal Executive Council, which now gives it legal and executive backing.”
According to the minister, the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission will issue circulars to vice-chancellors, registrars, and governing councils of universities nationwide to ensure compliance.
He also revealed that convocation ceremonies and programmes would be monitored, while the government would work with the media to discourage the improper use of academic titles by honorary degree recipients.
Alausa added that the ministry would publish an annual list of legitimate honorary degree recipients as part of efforts to safeguard the integrity of earned academic qualifications.
He stressed that the National Universities Commission possesses the statutory authority to enforce the new policy.