Minister of Education Tunji Alausa announcing the FG ban on Dr prefix for honorary degree holders

The Federal Government has officially stopped recipients of honorary degrees from using the title "Dr." before their names.

Education Minister Tunji Alausa announced this major policy shift on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. He revealed that the Federal Executive Council has approved a uniform rule for Nigerian universities.

For years, many have abused this privilege. Universities have been accused of selling honorary awards to politicians and wealthy individuals for financial gain. Alausa stressed that this era of political patronage must end.

Going forward, passing off an honorary degree as a real, earned academic qualification will be treated as academic fraud. Anyone caught doing this will face serious legal and reputational consequences.

So, how should honorary recipients identify themselves? The new rule is simple. They must drop the "Dr" prefix and instead place the full award designation after their names.

For example, a recipient should write "Chief Louis Clark, D.Lit. (Honoris Causa)" or "Mrs Miriam Adamu, LL.D. Hons." This format makes it clear that the award is honorary, not earned through academic study.

The government is also placing strict limits on the awards themselves. Universities can now only confer four types of honorary degrees. These are Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Letters, Doctor of Science, and Doctor of Humanities.

In addition, schools without active PhD programs or those less than five years old can no longer give out honorary degrees at all. Every certificate must clearly state the word "honorary" or "Honoris Causa."

This is not the first attempt to clean up the system. In 2012, vice-chancellors tried to fix the problem through the Keffi Declaration. However, Alausa pointed out that it failed because it lacked legal backing.

This new FEC approval changes the game. It gives the policy the full force of the law.

The National Universities Commission will now enforce these rules. The government plans to monitor convocation ceremonies closely and work with the media to stop the improper use of academic titles. An annual list of legitimate recipients will also be published to protect the value of earned qualifications.