BREAKING: FG Bans Honorary Degree Holders from Using “Dr” Title, Warns of Fraud

• The Federal Government has barred recipients of honorary degrees from using the “Dr” title, warning that violations will be treated as academic fraud.

The Federal Government has banned recipients of honorary degrees from prefixing “Dr” to their names in official, academic, or professional settings, describing such usage as a misrepresentation of academic credentials.

Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, announced the decision at the Presidential Villa in Abuja while briefing State House correspondents on recent approvals by the Federal Executive Council. He said the new policy establishes uniform guidelines for the award and use of honorary degrees by Nigerian universities.

According to Alausa, the misuse of honorary titles will now be treated as academic fraud, carrying legal and reputational consequences. “Recipients shall not prefix doctor to their names in official, academic or professional usage,” he said, adding that any misrepresentation would attract sanctions.

He explained that recipients must instead use the full honorary designation after their names, such as “D.Lit. (Honoris Causa)” or “LL.D. Hons.,” to clearly indicate the non-earned nature of the award.

The policy also limits honorary degrees to four recognised categories: Doctor of Laws (LL.D), Doctor of Letters (D.Lit), Doctor of Science (D.Sc), and Doctor of Humanities (D.Arts). Universities without active PhD programmes are barred from conferring honorary degrees entirely.

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Alausa said the reforms are aimed at curbing what he described as the growing abuse and politicisation of honorary degrees, often awarded for political patronage or financial gain rather than merit.

He added that all honorary degrees must explicitly include the terms “honorary” or “Honoris Causa” on certificates and official references. The National Universities Commission will enforce the policy, while the Ministry of Education will issue directives to institutions and monitor compliance.

The government also plans to publish an annual list of legitimate honorary degree recipients and work with the media to discourage improper use of academic titles, in a move aimed at restoring the credibility of Nigeria’s higher education system.