The Federal Government has prohibited recipients of honorary degrees from using the title “Dr” in any official, academic, or professional setting.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, announced the directive on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja while addressing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council meeting.
He explained that the decision was prompted by increasing misuse of honorary awards, noting that the practice has become overly politicised in recent times.
“The trend surrounding the conferment of honorary degrees has exposed significant abuse,” Alausa said. “In many cases, these awards are being used for political patronage, financial advantage, and are even being conferred on serving public officials, which goes against established ethical standards.”
Under the new policy, honorary degree holders are no longer allowed to prefix their names with “Dr.” Instead, they must indicate the honorary qualification in full after their names.
