The Federal Government (FG) has approved new guidelines regulating the award and use of honorary doctorate degrees in Nigerian universities, including a prohibition on recipients using the title “Dr.” based on such honours.
Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, announced the policy on Wednesday, saying it was designed to strengthen academic integrity, improve transparency and restore confidence in the nation’s university system.
According to the minister, the guidelines were developed by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and approved by the Federal Executive Council in response to growing concerns over the abuse, commercialisation and misuse of honorary academic awards.
Under the new framework, only universities that have graduated their first set of PhD students will be eligible to confer honorary doctorate degrees.
The policy also limits institutions to a maximum of three honorary doctorate awards per convocation ceremony.
Alausa said all honorary doctorate degrees must clearly bear the designation “Honoris Causa” to distinguish them from earned academic qualifications.
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He added that recipients of honorary doctorates would no longer be permitted to use the title “Dr.”, a move aimed at preserving the distinction between honorary and earned doctoral degrees.
To ensure compliance, the guidelines establish oversight mechanisms, including the creation of a Special Fraud Unit within the NUC to monitor the conferment and use of honorary awards.
Universities are also required to publicly disclose the names of honorary degree recipients, provide orientation for awardees on the appropriate use of the honours, and implement procedures for revoking awards where necessary.
The Federal Government directed all universities to comply strictly with the new regulations, warning that institutions found violating the guidelines could face sanctions.
According to the policy, penalties may include the suspension of accreditation activities and the dissolution of governing councils of defaulting institutions.
The government said the measures are intended to safeguard the credibility of Nigerian universities and ensure that honorary doctorate awards are reserved for individuals who have made exceptional contributions to society and national development.
