The Federal Government has prohibited recipients of honorary degrees from using the “Dr” title as a prefix to their names, declaring the practice a misrepresentation of academic qualifications and warning that it will now be treated as academic fraud.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, announced the directive on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja while briefing State House correspondents on decisions reached by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at its April 30 meeting.
Honorary degrees are conferred by universities to recognise individuals’ contributions to society rather than academic achievement through formal study or research.
Under the new policy, beneficiaries of such honours are barred from using “Dr” before their names in official, academic, or professional contexts. Instead, they are required to indicate the honorary nature of the award by placing the full title after their names.
“Recipients shall not prefix doctor to their names in official, academic or professional usage,” Alausa said. “Misrepresentation of honorary degrees as earned academic credentials shall be considered academic fraud and subject to legal and reputational consequences.”
He explained that appropriate usage would include formats such as “Chief Louis Clark, D.Lit. (Honoris Causa)” or “Mrs Miriam Adamu, LL.D. (Hons.),” clearly distinguishing honorary awards from earned academic qualifications.
The move is part of efforts by the government to uphold academic integrity and curb the misuse of honorary titles in Nigeria.
