FG bans use of ‘Dr’ by honorary degree holders, approves $500m annual research fund

The Federal Government has banned recipients of honorary degrees from prefixing “Dr” to their names in official, academic, or professional settings, warning that violations will now be treated as academic fraud.

The directive was announced on Wednesday by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, following approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) of two key memoranda he presented.

Briefing State House correspondents alongside the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmad, Alausa said the policy introduces a uniform framework regulating the award and usage of honorary degrees across Nigerian universities.

He described the growing trend of honorary title abuse as a distortion of academic standards, often driven by political patronage and financial incentives.

“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.

Under the new policy, recipients must no longer prefix “Dr” to their names. Instead, they are required to use the full honorary designation after their names, clearly indicating its status as “Honoris Causa.”

“For instance, you can write Chief Louis Clark, D.Lit. (Honoris Causa) or Mrs Miriam Adamu, LL.D. Hons. This makes it clear the degree is honorary and not earned,” the minister explained.

He warned that misrepresenting honorary awards as earned academic qualifications would attract legal and reputational consequences.

The policy also limits honorary degrees to four categories: Doctor of Laws (LL.D.), Doctor of Letters (D.Lit.), Doctor of Science (D.Sc.), and Doctor of Humanities (D.Arts). Universities without active PhD programmes are now barred from conferring such awards.

According to Alausa, the move is aimed at curbing indiscriminate conferment by institutions lacking the academic capacity to justify such honours.

He added that all honorary degrees must explicitly carry the words “honorary” or “Honoris Causa” on certificates and in official references.

The National Universities Commission, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education, will enforce compliance, monitor convocation ceremonies, and issue guidelines to vice-chancellors and governing councils.

The government will also publish an annual list of legitimate recipients and work with the media to discourage misuse of academic titles.

Alausa noted that earlier attempts to regulate the system, including the 2012 Keffi Declaration by the Association of Vice-Chancellors, failed due to lack of legal backing—an issue now addressed through FEC approval.

In a related development, the minister announced the establishment of the National Research and Innovation Development Fund, with an annual allocation of $500 million to support research and innovation in Nigeria.

He said the fund is designed to unlock the country’s underutilised potential in research and development, adding that past administrations had neglected the sector.

Alausa commended Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving the initiative, describing it as a major step toward strengthening higher education and driving innovation-led growth in the country.