By Ameenat Hamzat, Lagos, Nigeria
The Federal Government has approved a new policy prohibiting recipients of honorary degrees from using the “Dr” title, in a move aimed at restoring credibility to academic awards.
The decision, endorsed by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), introduces a regulatory framework to guide the conferment and use of honorary degrees by tertiary institutions.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja while briefing State House correspondents on approvals from the Council’s April 30 meeting.
According to the minister, the reform became necessary following concerns over the growing misuse and politicisation of honorary doctorates.
” Recipients are expected to acknowledge the degree as an award or recognition and not as a formal academic qualification,” he said.
Alausa noted that the government had observed a troubling trend where some institutions confer honorary degrees indiscriminately, including on public office holders, with recipients subsequently adopting the “Doctor” title in official and public engagements.
He warned that misrepresenting honorary degrees as academic credentials would be treated as academic fraud, attracting legal and reputational consequences.
The minister added that only universities with established PhD-awarding programmes would be permitted to confer honorary degrees, describing the practice by institutions without such capacity as inappropriate.
The policy also reinforces the Keffi Declaration developed by the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities to address abuses associated with honorary awards.
On enforcement, the Federal Ministry of Education, through the National Universities Commission, will issue guidelines, monitor convocation ceremonies, and publish an annual list of legitimate honorary degree recipients.
“We will collaborate with the media to discourage the improper attribution of academic titles to people who were awarded honorary degrees,” the minister added.
Responding to concerns about university autonomy, Alausa stressed that institutions must operate within the law.
“Autonomy does not equate to the right to break the law in this country,” he said.
The government said the move is part of broader efforts to strengthen academic standards, curb abuse, and rebuild public confidence in Nige
ria’s higher education system.
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