FG bans ‘Dr’ prefix for honorary award recipients, labels violators fraudsters
ABUJA — The Federal Government has officially banned recipients of honorary degrees from using the “Dr” prefix before their names.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, announced the decision on 6th May, 2026 at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Briefing State House correspondents on recent Federal Executive Council (FEC) approvals, Alausa explained that using the title without an earned academic doctorate constitutes a misrepresentation of credentials.
Under the new directive, such actions will be treated as academic fraud, carrying significant legal and reputational consequences.
Restoring academic integrity
Accompanied by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, Alausa revealed that the FEC has approved a uniform policy to govern the conferral and usage of honorary degrees across Nigerian universities. The policy aims to end decades of “indiscriminate conferral” used for political patronage or financial gain.
“The recent trend has revealed a growing abuse and politicisation of this academic privilege,” Alausa stated. “We have seen awards used for financial gain and conferred upon serving public officials—practices that violate the fundamental ethics of honorary awards.”
New naming conventions
Under the new guidelines, recipients must list their full honorary designation after their names rather than using a prefix.
Correct examples:
- Chief Louis Clark, D.Lit. (Honoris Causa)
- Mrs. Miriam Adamu, LL.D. (Hons)
“Recipients shall not prefix ‘Doctor’ to their names in official, academic, or professional usage,” the Minister emphasised. “Misrepresenting these as earned credentials will now be subject to legal action.”
Strict institutional regulations
The policy introduces several high-stakes restrictions to curb the “proliferation” of honorary titles:
- Approved degrees only: Universities are limited to conferring four specific honorary titles: Doctor of Laws (LL.D), Doctor of Letters (D.Lit), Doctor of Science (D.Sc), and Doctor of Humanities (D.Arts).
- Postgraduate Prerequisite: Universities without active, functional PhD-awarding programmes are barred from conferring honorary degrees.
- The Five-Year Rule: The policy targets newer institutions—some less than five years old—that have been awarding doctorates despite lacking established research programmes.
- Mandatory labeling: All certificates and references must explicitly include the words “Honorary” or “Honoris Causa.”
Enforcement and the “Keffi Declaration”
While the Association of Vice-Chancellors attempted to regulate these awards via the 2012 Keffi Declaration, Alausa noted those efforts failed due to a lack of legal teeth. By moving the matter through the FEC, the government has provided the necessary executive backing for enforcement.
Moving forward, the National Universities Commission (NUC) will:
- Issue formal circulars to all Vice-Chancellors and Governing Councils.
- Monitor convocation ceremonies for compliance.
- Collaborate with media houses to ensure proper attribution of titles.
- Publish an annual registry of legitimate honorary degree recipients.
The NUC will utilise its statutory powers to ensure that the integrity of earned academic qualifications is protected against further devaluation.
