‎“Honorary Degree Holders Cannot Use ‘Dr.’ Title” — FG Unveils Tough New Rules for Universities ‎

The Federal Government has approved a set of stringent guidelines regulating the award and use of honorary doctorate degrees in Nigerian universities, declaring that recipients of such honours must not use the title “Dr.” as part of efforts to restore credibility and integrity to the nation’s higher education system.
‎
‎Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, in a statement issued, on Monday, by Folasade Boriowo, ‎Director, Press and Public Relations in the Ministry, stated that the new framework was designed to curb the abuse, commercialization, and misuse of honorary academic awards.

‎According to the minister, the guidelines were developed by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and subsequently approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
‎
‎Under the new regulations, only universities that have graduated their first set of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students will be eligible to confer honorary doctorate degrees. Institutions are also restricted to awarding a maximum of three honorary doctorates during each convocation ceremony.
‎
‎The government further directed that all honorary degrees must bear the designation “Honoris Causa” to distinguish them from earned academic qualifications.
‎
‎A major provision of the policy prohibits recipients of honorary doctorates from adopting the title “Dr.”, a practice that has become widespread among some awardees despite not having earned doctoral qualifications through academic study and research.
‎
‎To ensure compliance, the guidelines establish oversight mechanisms, including the creation of a Special Fraud Unit within the NUC to monitor the conferment and use of honorary degrees across universities.
‎
‎The framework also requires universities to publicly disclose the names of honorary degree recipients, provide orientation programmes for awardees on the proper use of the honours, and establish procedures for revoking awards when necessary.
‎
‎The Federal Government warned that institutions found violating the regulations could face sanctions, including suspension of accreditation activities and the dissolution of their governing councils.
‎
‎Officials say the new measures are aimed at strengthening transparency, preserving academic standards, and enhancing public confidence in Nigeria’s university system.
‎