FG Bans Honorary Degree Holders from Using ‘Dr’ Title

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The Federal Government on Wednesday banned recipients of honorary degrees from using the title “Dr” in official, academic or professional settings, warning that violations will attract legal and reputational consequences.

Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, announced the directive at the Presidential Villa in Abuja while briefing State House correspondents on decisions approved by the Federal Executive Council.

Alausa said the policy, adopted by the council, seeks to regulate the award and use of honorary degrees across Nigerian universities and address what he described as growing abuse and politicisation of the honours.

He noted that honorary degrees have increasingly been used for political patronage and financial gain, including awards conferred on serving public officials, a practice he said violates established academic ethics.

Under the new guidelines, recipients must indicate the honorary nature of their awards after their names rather than using the “Dr” prefix. He warned that presenting honorary degrees as earned academic qualifications would be treated as academic fraud.

The government also restricted honorary degrees to four categories, including Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Letters, Doctor of Science and Doctor of Humanities, as part of efforts to standardise the system.

Alausa further stated that universities without active PhD programmes are now barred from awarding honorary degrees, adding that all such honours must clearly carry the designation “honorary” or “Honoris Causa” on certificates and references.

He explained that previous attempts by the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities to regulate the practice failed due to lack of legal backing, prompting the decision to seek approval from the Federal Executive Council.

The minister said the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission would enforce compliance, monitor convocation ceremonies and publish an annual list of legitimate honorary degree recipients to curb misuse.

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