The Federal Government has banned recipients of honorary degrees from using the title “Dr” before their names in any official, academic, or professional setting.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, announced the decision on Wednesday while briefing journalists at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. He explained that the move is aimed at tackling the growing misuse of honorary degrees across the country.
According to the minister, using the “Dr” title without earning a doctoral qualification will now be regarded as academic misrepresentation and may attract legal and reputational consequences.
Alausa said the new policy, approved by the Federal Executive Council, seeks to restore integrity to Nigeria’s academic system by addressing the long-standing abuse and politicization of honorary awards.
He noted that honorary degree recipients must instead indicate the nature of their awards after their names, using terms such as Honoris Causa, rather than presenting themselves as holders of earned doctorates.
The policy also restricts Nigerian universities to awarding only four categories of honorary degrees: Doctor of Laws (LL.D), Doctor of Letters (D.Lit), Doctor of Science (D.Sc), and Doctor of Humanities (D.Arts).
In addition, institutions that do not offer PhD programmes are no longer permitted to confer honorary degrees.
The minister further disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the National Universities Commission, will monitor compliance. Annual lists of legitimate honorary degree recipients will also be published to maintain transparency and protect the credibility of academic qualifications.
The government believes the new directive will curb the commercialization of honorary degrees and strengthen public trust in Nigeria’s education system.
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