FG Bans Honorary Degree Holders from Using ‘Dr’ Title, Warns of Academic Fraud
Federal Government has directed recipients of honorary doctorate degrees to stop using the title “Dr.” before their names, as part of efforts to protect the integrity of academic qualifications and curb the misuse of honorary awards.
Minister of Education, Dr.Maruf Olatunji Alausa, announced the directive after the approval of the new policy by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
Alausa said the measure was necessary to address the growing abuse, commercialisation and politicisation of honorary degrees in some tertiary institutions across the country.
He explained that honorary doctorates are symbolic recognitions of outstanding contributions to society and do not equate to earned academic qualifications obtained through rigorous study, research and examination.
“Recipients of honorary doctorate degrees are not entitled to use the title ‘Dr.’ as a prefix to their names in official, professional or academic engagements,” he said.
According to the minister, awardees may instead indicate the honorary distinction after their names using formats such as D.Litt (Honoris Causa), LL.D (Honoris Causa) or other approved honorary designations.
Under the revised policy, only universities with active doctoral programmes will be permitted to confer honorary doctorate awards.
The government also restricted recognised honorary awards to four categories: Doctor of Laws (LL.D), Doctor of Letters (D.Litt), Doctor of Science (D.Sc), and Doctor of Humanities (D.Arts).
In addition, all honorary degree certificates must clearly carry inscriptions such as “Honorary” or “Honoris Causa” to distinguish them from earned academic degrees.
The minister warned universities against indiscriminate conferment of honorary degrees, noting that institutions found violating the directive would face sanctions from the National Universities Commission and the Federal Ministry of Education.
He said the policy was part of broader reforms aimed at restoring credibility to Nigeria’s higher education system and ensuring academic titles are not misrepresented for personal, political or financial gains.
Observers say the development could reshape the long-standing culture where public office holders, business executives and celebrities often adopt the “Dr.” title after receiving honorary awards.