The Federal Government has directed recipients of honorary degrees to stop using the “Dr” title before their names, warning that violators risk being treated as perpetrators of academic fraud. The directive followed a new policy approved by the Federal Executive Council aimed at regulating the award and use of honorary……
The Federal Government has directed recipients of honorary degrees to stop using the “Dr” title before their names, warning that violators risk being treated as perpetrators of academic fraud.
The directive followed a new policy approved by the Federal Executive Council aimed at regulating the award and use of honorary degrees in Nigerian universities.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, announced the decision on Wednesday while briefing journalists at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, alongside the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmad.
Alausa said the policy became necessary following what he described as the growing “abuse and politicisation” of honorary doctorate awards across the country.
According to him, the government observed that honorary degrees were increasingly being used for political patronage and financial inducement instead of genuine academic recognition.
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“The recent trend we’ve seen with the award of honorary degrees has revealed a growing abuse and politicisation of this academic privilege,” he said.
“We’ve seen awards being used for political patronage, for financial gain, as well as the conferral of awards on serving public officials, which, as part of the ethics of honorary degree awards, should not happen.”
Under the new regulation, honorary award recipients can no longer attach “Dr” to their names in official, professional or academic engagements.
Instead, beneficiaries are expected to indicate the honorary status of the award after their names.
Explaining the approved format, the minister said examples would include: “Chief Louis Clark, D.Lit. (Doctor of Literature, Honoris Causa)” or “Mrs Miriam Adamu, LL.D. Hons.”
“Recipients shall not prefix doctor to their names in official, academic or professional usage,” he stated.
“Misrepresentation of honorary degrees as earned academic credentials shall be considered academic fraud and subject to legal and reputational consequences.”
The government also restricted Nigerian universities to four categories of honorary awards — Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Letters, Doctor of Science and Doctor of Humanities.
Alausa further disclosed that universities without active PhD programmes would no longer be permitted to confer honorary degrees.
He said the move was intended to stop newly established institutions lacking postgraduate research capacity from awarding doctorate honours.
The minister added that all honorary certificates must clearly carry the inscription “honorary” or “Honoris Causa.”
He noted that concerns over the commercialisation of honorary awards had persisted for years, with allegations that some institutions confer such honours on wealthy individuals and politicians in exchange for donations.
Referring to earlier efforts to regulate the practice, Alausa said the 2012 Keffi Declaration introduced by the Association of Vice-Chancellors lacked enforcement powers.
“The association doesn’t 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.”
He added that the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission would issue compliance directives to universities nationwide and monitor convocation ceremonies to ensure adherence to the policy.
According to him, the government will also publish an annual list of legitimate honorary degree recipients to protect the integrity of academic qualifications in the country.
