The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced a ban on the use of the “Dr” title by individuals who hold only honorary degrees, declaring such usage a misrepresentation of academic qualifications.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed the policy on Wednesday while briefing State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. He was joined by the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmad.
According to Alausa, the directive—approved by the Federal Executive Council—introduces a uniform standard for the award and usage of honorary degrees across Nigerian universities.
He explained that recipients must no longer prefix “Dr” to their names in official, academic, or professional settings.
Instead, beneficiaries are required to indicate the honorary nature of the award by placing the designation after their names. Examples include formats such as “D.Lit. (Honoris Causa)” or “LL.D. Hons.”
The minister stressed that presenting an honorary degree as an earned doctorate will now be treated as academic fraud, carrying potential legal and reputational consequences.
He said the move aims to address longstanding concerns about the abuse and politicisation of honorary degrees, including their use for political patronage and financial gain.
Under the new policy, Nigerian universities are restricted to awarding only four categories of honorary doctorates: Doctor of Laws (LL.D), Doctor of Letters (D.Lit), Doctor of Science (D.Sc), and Doctor of Humanities (D.Arts).
Additionally, institutions that do not run active PhD programmes are barred from conferring honorary degrees altogether. All such awards must clearly include the words “honorary” or “Honoris Causa” on certificates and in any formal reference.
Alausa noted that the policy builds on earlier efforts, including the 2012 Keffi Declaration by the Association of Vice-Chancellors, which lacked legal backing and was largely ineffective.
He added that the National Universities Commission (NUC), alongside the Federal Ministry of Education, will issue formal guidelines to universities and oversee compliance.
The government also plans to monitor convocation ceremonies and work with the media to ensure accurate representation of honorary titles, while publishing an annual list of legitimate recipients to safeguard the credibility of academic qualifications.
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