The Federal Government has prohibited recipients of honorary degrees from using the title “Dr” as part of their names, in a move aimed at restoring credibility to academic honours.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, announced the directive on Wednesday during a media briefing at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
He disclosed that the decision was approved at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held on April 30, noting that it seeks to curb the growing misuse of honorary degrees across the country.
According to the minister, the conferment of honorary awards has increasingly been politicised and exploited for personal and financial gain, undermining the integrity of academic institutions.
Alausa expressed concern over the practice of awarding such honours to serving public officials, describing it as a violation of ethical standards guiding honorary degrees.
“The trend of indiscriminate conferment of honorary degrees for political patronage and financial benefits has become unacceptable,” he said.
As part of the new directive, universities found violating the policy will face sanctions. Vice Chancellors have also been instructed to standardise the process for awarding honorary degrees.
The minister further stated that institutions must now obtain approval from the National Universities Commission before conferring any honorary degree.
The government believes the measure will strengthen academic standards and preserve the value of honorary recognitions in Nigeria’s higher education system.
