The Federal Government has issued a directive prohibiting recipients of honorary doctorate degrees from using the prefix “Dr” in official, academic, and professional settings. The policy, approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), aims to safeguard the integrity of academic qualifications in Nigeria.

Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, announced the directive on Wednesday, highlighting that the misuse of honorary titles has become widespread. Many recipients have been presenting honorary degrees as earned academic qualifications, a practice now classified as academic fraud with potential legal and reputational consequences.

“The recent trend we’ve seen with the award of honorary degrees has revealed a growing abuse and politicisation of this academic privilege,” Alausa said. He condemned the use of honorary degrees for political patronage and financial gain, including conferrals on serving public officials, which breach the ethical standards governing such awards.

Under the new regulation, honorary degree holders must clearly indicate the honorary nature of their awards after their names—for example, “Chief Louis Clark, D.Lit. (Doctor of Literature, Honoris Causa).” All honorary certificates and references must include the terms “Honorary” or “Honoris Causa” to prevent confusion with earned degrees.

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). Additionally, universities without active PhD-awarding programmes are barred from conferring honorary doctorates, a move aimed at curbing the proliferation of awards by newer institutions lacking postgraduate research capacity.

The directive addresses longstanding concerns in Nigeria’s academic community over the indiscriminate awarding of honorary degrees, which critics say are sometimes used to exert political influence or secure financial patronage.

Alausa recalled that a previous effort by the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities—the Keffi Declaration of 2012—failed to enforce regulations due to lack of legal backing. However, the newly approved FEC policy now carries executive and legal authority.

The National Universities Commission (NUC), in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education, will issue implementation guidelines to vice-chancellors, registrars, and governing councils across universities. Convocation ceremonies will also be monitored to ensure compliance with the new rules.

This move signals the government’s commitment to uphold academic standards and protect the credibility of Nigerian higher education.