The Federal Government has barred recipients of honorary degrees from using the “Dr” title in official, academic or professional settings, describing the practice as a misrepresentation of academic credentials.
Minister of Education Tunji Alausa announced the directive in Abuja while briefing State House correspondents on recent Federal Executive Council (FEC) approvals. He said the new policy provides a uniform framework for awarding and using honorary degrees across Nigerian universities.
According to the minister, individuals conferred with honorary degrees must instead list the designation after their names, clearly indicating its honorary status. He added that presenting such titles as earned qualifications will be treated as academic fraud, with possible legal and reputational consequences.
The policy also limits honorary degrees to four categories: Doctor of Laws (LL.D), Doctor of Letters (D.Lit), Doctor of Science (D.Sc), and Doctor of Humanities (D.Arts). Universities without active PhD programmes are barred from conferring honorary degrees.
Alausa said the reforms aim to address concerns over the alleged misuse and politicisation of honorary awards, which have drawn criticism within academic circles.
He noted that the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Ministry of Education will oversee implementation, including issuing guidelines to institutions and monitoring compliance. The government also plans to publish an annual list of recognised honorary degree recipients.
