The Federal Government has prohibited recipients of honorary degrees from using the title “Dr” in official, academic or professional settings, citing widespread abuse and politicisation of the honour.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, announced the directive on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, while briefing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.
Alausa said the decision followed growing concerns over the misuse of honorary degrees, which he noted have increasingly been deployed for political patronage and financial inducement.
“The recent trend we’ve seen with the award of honorary degrees has revealed a growing abuse and politicisation of this academic privilege,” he said.
“We’ve seen awards being used for political patronage, for financial gain, as well as the conferral of awards on serving public officials, which, as part of the ethics of honorary degree awards, should not happen.”
Under the new directive, holders of honorary doctorates are barred from prefixing their names with “Dr.” Instead, they are required to indicate the full honorary qualification after their names in line with established academic conventions.
The government said the measure is aimed at preserving the integrity of academic titles and restoring public confidence in the nation’s higher education system.
