- The Federal Government has officially approved strict guidelines to regulate the nomination, conferment, and use of honorary doctorate degrees across Nigerian universities.
- Under the new policy, recipients are completely banned from using the prefix “Dr” solely on the account of an honorary award. All such degrees must explicitly carry the designation “Honoris Causa.”
- Only approved universities that have successfully graduated their first set of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students can award honorary degrees, with a strict limit of three awards per convocation ceremony.
The Federal Government has approved a comprehensive national policy to tightly regulate the award and usage of honorary doctorate degrees.
The landmark reform aims to completely eliminate the commercialization, abuse, and indiscriminate hoarding of academic honors within the country’s tertiary education system.
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The Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo, announced the development on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.
The new strict operational framework was developed by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and subsequently ratified by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, stated that the move is an absolute necessity to protect the transparency and overall credibility of Nigerian universities.
The strict policy introduces tough eligibility benchmarks for higher education institutions.
Under the approved guidelines, universities are strictly barred from issuing honorary degrees unless they have successfully graduated their foundational set of PhD students.
Furthermore, eligible institutions are hit with a strict statutory cap restricting them to a maximum of three honorary doctoral awards during any single convocation ceremony.
Stripping away the prestige often exploited by prominent public figures, the government mandated that all future awards must carry the designation ‘Honoris Causa.’
Crucially, recipients are explicitly prohibited from using the professional title ‘Dr’ if they do not hold a legitimate, researched postgraduate doctorate.
To ensure absolute adherence to the new academic codes, the federal government has set up a specialized monitoring unit.
A Special Fraud Unit will be established directly under the NUC to actively track university compliance and root out unauthorized institutions or organizations offering illegal awards.
Under the regulatory framework, universities must publicly publish the names of all honorary degree recipients, host mandatory orientation programs for awardees, and implement institutional procedures for revoking titles when necessary.
Minister Alausa issued a stern warning to university administrators regarding non-compliance.
He emphasized that any institutions caught violating the provisions will face heavy regulatory sanctions.
These penalties include the immediate suspension of academic accreditation activities and the outright dissolution of the university’s governing council.
