The Federal Government announced on Wednesday that individuals who receive honorary degrees are now prohibited from using the prefix “Dr” before their names in any official, academic, or professional capacity.
The government stated that using the title in this manner misleads the public regarding academic qualifications.
Such actions will now be classified as academic fraud, carrying serious legal and reputational risks.
Minister of Education Tunji Alausa shared this update at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
He was joined by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, to discuss two Federal Executive Council (FEC) approvals.
Alausa explained that the FEC has approved a standardized policy to regulate how Nigerian universities award and use honorary degrees.
The Minister noted that the policy aims to stop the long-standing practice of handing out degrees for political favors or money.
He said the recent trend has shown a significant abuse of this academic privilege, with awards being given to serving public officials, which contradicts the ethics of honorary titles.
Under these new rules, recipients cannot put “Dr” before their names.
Instead, they are required to list the full honorary title after their names. For example, a recipient should use a format like Chief Louis Clark, D.Lit. (Doctor of Literature, Honoris Causa) or Mrs. Miriam Adamu, LL.D. Hons.
Alausa emphasized that this format makes it clear that the degree was an honor rather than an earned academic achievement.
He warned that pretending an honorary degree is a earned credential will be treated as fraud.
The policy also limits the types of honorary degrees available to just four:
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Doctor of Laws (LL.D)
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Doctor of Letters (D.Lit)
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Doctor of Science (D.Sc)
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Doctor of Humanities (D.Arts)
Additionally, universities that do not have active PhD programs are now banned from giving out honorary degrees.
This is intended to stop newer institutions—specifically those less than five years old without research programs—from distributing these titles. All certificates and references must now clearly include the words “honorary” or “Honoris Causa.”
While the academic community has worried about the commercialization of these degrees for years, previous attempts to fix the issue, such as the 2012 Keffi Declaration, failed because they lacked legal power.
Alausa explained that bringing this to the FEC finally provides the executive and legal backing needed for enforcement.
The Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission (NUC) will send a circular to all university leaders to ensure they follow the new rules.
The government also plans to monitor graduation ceremonies and work with the media to prevent the wrong use of these titles.
To further protect academic integrity, the ministry will publish an annual list of all legitimate honorary degree recipients.
