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Honorary Degree Holders Barred from Using “Dr” Title, FG Says

Nigeria’s Federal Government drew a firm line on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. It banned all honorary degree recipients from prefixing “Dr” to their names. The ban covers official, academic, and professional contexts. Anyone who misrepresents an honorary degree as an earned credential now faces legal and reputational consequences.

The announcement marks the strongest federal action yet on this issue. Nigeria’s academic community has criticised the practice for more than a decade.

What the Minister Announced at Aso Villa

Minister of Education Tunji Alausa addressed State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. He briefed them on two Federal Executive Council approvals. Both approvals had not been announced at the April 30 cabinet meeting. The Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Ahmad, stood alongside him.

Alausa described the policy as a direct response to years of abuse. “The recent trend we have seen with the award of honorary degrees has revealed a growing abuse and politicisation of this academic privilege,” he said. He named political patronage and financial gain as key drivers of the problem. He also flagged the conferral of awards on serving public officials, calling it a breach of academic ethics.

The Federal Executive Council approved a uniform national policy for honorary degrees. That FEC approval gives the policy legal and executive force. Earlier reform attempts lacked both.

The New Rules on Titles and How to Display Them

Recipients can no longer place “Dr” before their names. They must cite the full honorary designation after their name instead.

Alausa gave two examples. A recipient may write “Chief Louis Clark, D.Lit. (Doctor of Literature, Honoris Causa).” Another may write “Mrs Miriam Adamu, LL.D. Hons.” Both formats show that the award is honorary. Neither format mimics an earned academic qualification.

The policy limits Nigerian universities to four types of honorary degrees. These are Doctor of Laws (LL.D), Doctor of Letters (D.Lit), Doctor of Science (D.Sc), and Doctor of Humanities (D.Arts). Every certificate and official reference must carry the words “honorary” or “Honoris Causa.”

Who the Ban Targets

The policy affects public figures across many sectors. Politicians, business leaders, clergy, and other prominent Nigerians who carry the “Dr” title from an honorary degree must change how they present themselves. The adjustment applies across professional and official settings.

The government also targets universities that awarded honorary degrees carelessly. Institutions without active PhD programmes can no longer grant honorary doctorates. Alausa singled out newer universities, some less than five years old, with no postgraduate research programmes. Many of these institutions used honorary degree awards as a revenue stream.

How the Government Plans to Enforce the Policy

The Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission (NUC) will send a circular to all vice-chancellors, registrars, and governing councils. The NUC holds statutory power to enforce the policy.

The government will monitor convocation programmes for compliance. It will also engage the media to discourage improper title use. Every year, the ministry will publish a list of legitimate honorary degree recipients. This list protects the credibility of earned academic qualifications.

Why Past Attempts at Reform Failed

Concerns about the commercialisation of honorary degrees go back more than ten years. In 2012, the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities acted through the Keffi Declaration. The declaration set out guiding principles for honorary degree awards.

The effort changed little. Alausa explained the reason on Wednesday. “The association does not have any legal backing to enforce anything,” he said. “That is why we brought this to the Federal Executive Council, which now gives it legal and executive backing.”

The FEC approval converts a set of voluntary guidelines into binding federal policy.

What Changes for Universities, Recipients, and the Public

Universities now operate under tighter conditions. They must hold active PhD programmes to qualify for honorary degree conferral. They must also limit awards to the four approved categories.

Recipients lose the option of adopting “Dr” as a professional prefix. The title must follow their name, not precede it, and it must clearly read as honorary.

For the public, the change creates a sharper distinction. People who earned doctoral qualifications through research now carry a title that honorary recipients cannot replicate in official use.

The NUC’s willingness to exercise its enforcement powers will determine how far the policy reaches in practice.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Nigeria’s new policy on honorary degree titles? The Federal Government banned honorary degree recipients from using “Dr” as a prefix. Recipients must place the full honorary designation after their name. The format must make clear that the award is honorary, not earned.

Why did the Federal Government introduce this ban? The government acted to stop the abuse of honorary degrees. Universities had been awarding them for political patronage and financial gain. Some institutions also conferred awards on serving public officials, which violates standard academic ethics.

What are the consequences of misusing an honorary doctorate title? The government treats misrepresentation as academic fraud. Offenders face legal and reputational consequences. The NUC holds statutory authority to enforce these rules.

Which universities can still award honorary degrees? Only universities with active PhD-awarding programmes qualify. Institutions without postgraduate research programmes no longer meet the threshold, regardless of their age or status.

What types of honorary degrees can Nigerian universities award? The four approved categories are Doctor of Laws (LL.D), Doctor of Letters (D.Lit), Doctor of Science (D.Sc), and Doctor of Humanities (D.Arts). All certificates must carry the word “honorary” or the phrase “Honoris Causa.”