The Federal Government has prohibited recipients of honorary degrees from using the title “Dr” as a prefix to their names in official, academic, or professional settings, declaring such usage a misrepresentation of credentials and a form of academic fraud.

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, announced the directive on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja while briefing State House correspondents. He said the decision followed the approval of a new policy by the Federal Executive Council aimed at regulating the award and use of honorary degrees by Nigerian universities.

According to the minister, the policy seeks to curb longstanding abuses associated with honorary doctorates, including their use for political patronage and financial inducements, and to restore public confidence in the integrity of academic titles.

Alausa stated that, under the new guidelines, honorary degree recipients must not prefix “Dr” to their names. Instead, they are required to indicate the honorary nature of the award after their names, using designations such as “LL.D (Honoris Causa)” or “D.Lit (Hons).” He emphasized that any attempt to present an honorary degree as an earned academic qualification would attract legal and reputational consequences.

The policy also introduces stricter criteria for universities. Only four categories of honorary degrees are now permitted: Doctor of Laws (LL.D), Doctor of Letters (D.Lit), Doctor of Science (D.Sc), and Doctor of Humanities (D.Arts). In addition, institutions without active PhD programmes are barred from conferring honorary degrees.

Alausa explained that the restrictions are intended to address the growing number of relatively new universities awarding honorary doctorates despite lacking the capacity for postgraduate research.

He further directed that all honorary degrees must clearly bear the designation “Honoris Causa” on certificates and in all formal references.

Concerns over the commercialisation and politicisation of honorary degrees have persisted within Nigeria’s academic community for years. Efforts to address the issue, including the 2012 Keffi Declaration by the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, lacked enforcement mechanisms and were largely ineffective.

The minister noted that the new policy, having received Federal Executive Council approval, now carries legal backing. He added that the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission will issue implementation guidelines to universities, while compliance will be monitored through convocation activities.

Alausa also disclosed that the government will work with the media to discourage improper attribution of academic titles and will publish an annual list of legitimate honorary degree recipients.

He affirmed that the National Universities Commission has the statutory authority to enforce the policy.