Federal Government has barred recipients of honorary doctorate degrees from using the title “Dr.” before their names in official, academic, or professional settings, describing such usage as a misrepresentation of academic credentials and a form of academic fraud.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, announced the directive following approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), saying the move is aimed at curbing the abuse, commercialisation, and politicisation of honorary degrees in Nigerian universities.
Under the new policy:
- Honorary degree recipients can no longer prefix their names with “Dr.”
- Awardees must instead use the honorary designation after their names, such as D.Lit. (Honoris Causa) or LL.D. Hons.
The government also introduced stricter rules for awarding honorary degrees:
- Only universities with active PhD programmes can confer honorary doctorates
- Institutions are limited to four recognised honorary degree categories: Doctor of Laws (LL.D), Doctor of Letters (D.Lit), Doctor of Science (D.Sc), and Doctor of Humanities (D.Arts)
- All certificates must clearly indicate “Honorary” or “Honoris Causa” to distinguish them from earned academic qualifications.
According to the ministry, the reforms are designed to restore credibility to academic titles and stop the growing trend of honorary degrees being used for political patronage or financial influence. Universities that violate the policy risk sanctions from the National Universities Commission and the Federal Ministry of Education.
