FG Bans Honorary Degree Holders from Using ‘Dr’ Title, Warns of Sanctions
The Federal Government has prohibited recipients of honorary degrees from using the title “Dr” before their names in official, academic, or professional settings, warning that violators risk being treated as engaging in academic fraud.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, announced the directive on Wednesday in Abuja while briefing State House correspondents after a meeting of the Federal Executive Council.
Alausa said the policy was introduced to address what he described as the growing abuse and politicisation of honorary degrees within Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
“The recent trend in the award of honorary degrees has revealed increasing abuse and politicisation of this academic privilege,” he said, noting that such awards have been used for political patronage, financial inducement, and the recognition of serving public officials in ways that undermine academic ethics.
The minister stated that misrepresenting honorary degrees as earned academic qualifications would now attract sanctions. “Misrepresentation of honorary degrees as earned academic credentials shall be treated as academic fraud, with legal and reputational consequences,” he warned.
Under the new directive, honorary degree recipients are barred from using “Dr” as a prefix and must instead clearly indicate the honorary nature of the award after their names. Examples include formats such as “D.Lit. (Honoris Causa)” or “LL.D. Honoris Causa.”
Alausa further explained that only four categories of honorary degrees will be recognised: Doctor of Laws (LL.D), Doctor of Letters (D.Lit), Doctor of Science (D.Sc), and Doctor of Humanities (D.Arts).
He added that universities without active postgraduate research programmes leading to PhD awards will no longer be permitted to confer honorary degrees, a move aimed at curbing the proliferation of institutions issuing such honours without meeting required academic standards.
The minister disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the National Universities Commission, will issue detailed implementation guidelines to universities nationwide. Convocation ceremonies will also be monitored to ensure compliance.
In addition, a national register of honorary degree recipients will be published annually to safeguard the integrity of academic qualifications in the country.
Alausa confirmed that the policy has received approval from the Federal Executive Council and is now in effect across Nigeria.
FG Bans Honorary Degree Holders from Using ‘Dr’ Title, Warns of Sanctions