‎FG bans use of ‘Dr’ title by honorary degree holders, labels misuse as fraud

May 6, 2026; The Federal Government has banned recipients of honorary degrees from using the “Dr” title in official, academic, or professional settings, declaring the practice a form of academic misrepresentation.
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‎The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, announced the decision on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, while briefing journalists on recent approvals by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
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‎According to him, the new policy aims to curb the growing abuse and politicisation of honorary degrees, which he said have increasingly been awarded for financial gain and political patronage rather than merit.
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‎He stated that recipients of honorary doctorates must no longer prefix “Dr” to their names. Instead, they are required to use post-nominal titles that clearly indicate the honorary nature of the award, such as “D.Lit. (Honoris Causa)” or “LL.D. Hons.”
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‎Alausa warned that presenting honorary degrees as earned academic qualifications would now be treated as academic fraud, attracting legal and reputational consequences.
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‎The FEC also approved a uniform policy regulating how Nigerian universities confer honorary degrees. Under the new guidelines, only four categories of honorary doctorates will be recognised: Doctor of Laws (LL.D), Doctor of Letters (D.Lit), Doctor of Science (D.Sc), and Doctor of Humanities (D.Arts).
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‎Additionally, universities without active doctoral (PhD) programmes have been barred from awarding honorary degrees.
‎The minister noted that all honorary awards must explicitly include terms such as “honorary” or “Honoris Causa” on certificates and in all references.
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‎He added that the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the National Universities Commission (NUC), will enforce compliance, monitor convocation ceremonies, and publish an annual list of legitimate honorary degree recipients.
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‎The move is part of broader efforts by the government to restore credibility to Nigeria’s academic system amid longstanding concerns over the commercialisation and misuse of honorary titles.
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