The Federal Government has prohibited recipients of honorary degrees from using the title “Dr” in official, academic, or professional settings, cautioning that violations could lead to legal and reputational sanctions.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, made this known on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja while addressing State House correspondents on recent decisions approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
Speaking alongside the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmad, Alausa revealed that the council had endorsed a standardised policy to regulate how honorary degrees are awarded and used across Nigerian universities.
He explained that the decision was driven by increasing concerns over the misuse and politicisation of honorary awards. According to him, recent trends show that such honours are being exploited for political patronage and financial benefits, with some even conferred on serving public officials—an action he noted contradicts the ethical standards guiding honorary recognitions.
Under the new directive, recipients of honorary degrees must clearly state the nature of their awards after their names instead of adopting the “Dr” title. For example, individuals may use formats such as “Chief Louis Clark, D.Lit. (Honoris Causa)” or “Mrs Miriam Adamu, LL.D. Hons.”
The minister emphasised that using “Dr” as a prefix based on an honorary award is strictly prohibited. He further warned that presenting such honours as earned academic qualifications would be regarded as academic fraud and could attract both legal and reputational consequences.
The government has also streamlined the categories of honorary degrees that universities can award to four: Doctor of Laws (LL.D), Doctor of Letters (D.Lit), Doctor of Science (D.Sc), and Doctor of Humanities (D.Arts).
Additionally, universities that do not run active PhD programmes have been barred from granting honorary degrees, a move aimed at addressing the growing trend among newer institutions with limited postgraduate research capacity.
Alausa added that all honorary certificates must explicitly include the terms “honorary” or “Honoris Causa” in both documentation and references.
He noted that concerns about the commercialisation of honorary degrees have lingered for years, with allegations that some institutions award them to wealthy individuals or public officials in exchange for financial or political favours.
The minister recalled that a 2012 attempt by the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, through the Keffi Declaration, failed due to the absence of legal authority to enforce compliance.
He explained that the new policy, having received approval from the Federal Executive Council, now carries full legal and executive backing.
Alausa further disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the National Universities Commission, will issue guidelines to universities to ensure strict compliance. Convocation ceremonies will also be monitored closely.
He added that the ministry plans to publish an annual list of legitimate honorary degree recipients and partner with the media to discourage the misuse of academic titles.
