FG Bans Honorary Degree Holders from Using ‘Dr’ Title, Declares Misuse Academic Fraud

The Federal Government has officially prohibited recipients of honorary degrees from prefixing the title “Dr” to their names in any official, academic, or professional setting, warning that such usage now constitutes academic fraud.

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

Alausa, who addressed the press alongside the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmad, explained that the policy seeks to curb what he described as the longstanding abuse and politicisation of honorary academic titles.

He noted that the misuse of such titles has eroded public trust in the integrity of academic qualifications. “The recent trend we’ve seen with the award of honorary degrees has revealed a growing abuse of this academic privilege,” he said, adding that such awards have increasingly been used for political patronage and financial gain.

Under the new regulation, honorary degree recipients are required to clearly indicate the nature of their award by placing the designation after their names rather than using the “Dr” prefix. For instance, recipients are expected to adopt formats such as “Chief Louis Clark, D.Lit. (Honoris Causa)” or “Mrs Miriam Adamu, LL.D. Hons.” to reflect the honorary status of the degree.

The minister emphasised that any attempt to present honorary degrees as earned academic qualifications will be treated as academic fraud, attracting both legal and reputational consequences.

The policy further narrows the categories of honorary degrees that Nigerian universities can confer to four recognised types: Doctor of Laws (LL.D), Doctor of Letters (D.Lit), Doctor of Science (D.Sc), and Doctor of Humanities (D.Arts).
In addition, universities that do not run active PhD programmes have been barred from awarding honorary degrees. Alausa explained that this measure is intended to address the proliferation of relatively new institutions conferring honorary doctorates despite lacking postgraduate research capacity.

“All honorary degrees must clearly carry the inscription ‘honorary’ or ‘Honoris Causa’ on certificates and in all official references,” he added.
The minister acknowledged that concerns over the commercialisation of honorary degrees have persisted within Nigeria’s academic community for over a decade. He referenced the 2012 Keffi Declaration by the Association of Vice-Chancellors, noting that while it attempted to set standards, it lacked the legal backing necessary for enforcement.

According to him, the new policy now carries full executive authority, empowering the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission to enforce compliance across institutions.

He further disclosed that a formal circular will be issued to vice-chancellors, registrars, and governing councils nationwide, while convocation ceremonies will be monitored to ensure adherence. The government also plans to work with media organisations to discourage the misrepresentation of honorary titles and will publish an annual list of legitimate recipients.

The move is widely seen as part of broader efforts by the government to restore credibility to Nigeria’s higher education system and protect the value of earned academic qualifications.