Breaking: FG Bans ‘Dr’ Title for Honorary Degree Holders
- The federal government banned honorary degree holders from using the “Dr” prefix in official and professional contexts
- Authorities classified the misuse of honorary academic titles as academic fraud with possible legal consequences
- The new policy restricted honorary degrees to specific categories and introduced stricter oversight for Nigerian universities
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The federal government has prohibited recipients of honorary degrees from using the title “Dr” before their names in any official, academic, or professional setting.
Authorities say any attempt to present honorary awards as earned academic qualifications will now be treated as academic fraud, with possible legal and reputational consequences.
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The announcement was made on Wednesday, May 6, in Abuja by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, during a briefing at the Presidential Villa.
He explained that the decision followed approval by the Federal Executive Council of a new national framework regulating honorary degree awards in Nigerian universities, Punche reported.
Crackdown on misuse of academic titles
Alausa said the government became concerned about increasing abuse of honorary degrees, which he noted were being used for political influence, financial advantage, and ceremonial prestige.
He added that some public officials were also being awarded such titles in ways that undermine academic standards.
“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,” he said.
Under the new policy, individuals who receive honorary degrees are no longer permitted to place “Dr” before their names. Instead, they must indicate the honorary nature of the award after their names using appropriate academic notation.
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New naming standards introduced
According to the minister, the revised system is intended to ensure clarity between earned academic qualifications and honorary recognition. He provided examples to guide usage.
“For instance, you can use Chief Louis Clark, D.Lit. (Doctor of Literature, Honoris Causa)” or “Mrs Miriam Adamu, LL.D. Hons.”
He added that the inclusion of “honorary” or “Honoris Causa” must appear clearly on certificates and in all official references to prevent misrepresentation.
“Recipients shall not prefix doctor to their names in official, academic or professional usage,” Alausa stated, adding, “Misrepresentation of honorary degrees as earned academic credentials shall be considered academic fraud and subject to legal and reputational consequences.”
The policy also restricts Nigerian universities to awarding only four categories of honorary doctorates. These include Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Letters, Doctor of Science, and Doctor of Humanities.
Institutions without active postgraduate research programmes, particularly those not offering PhD-level degrees, are now barred from conferring honorary doctorates entirely. Government officials said this measure is aimed at curbing what they described as the proliferation of unqualified awarding institutions.
Enforcement and regulatory oversight
Alausa noted that the National Universities Commission and the Federal Ministry of Education will issue formal directives to vice-chancellors, registrars, and governing councils to ensure compliance.
He also said convocation ceremonies will be monitored, while media organisations will be engaged to avoid misrepresentation of honorary titles in public reporting. A yearly publication listing verified honorary degree recipients will also be introduced to promote transparency.
The minister recalled that earlier attempts to regulate the practice, including the Keffi Declaration by vice-chancellors, lacked enforcement power and were largely ignored.
“That is why we brought this to the Federal Executive Council, which now gives it legal and executive backing,” he said.
FG introduces fresh measures to tackle WAEC, NECO malpractice
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the federal government has rolled out fresh measures aimed at tackling examination malpractice in the Senior School Certificate Examination, a key requirement for admission into tertiary institutions across the country.
The new steps apply to examinations conducted by the West African Examination Council, the National Examination Council and the National Business and Technical Examinations Board.
Source: Legit.ng
