The Federal Government has prohibited recipients of honorary degrees from using the prefix “Dr” in official, academic, or professional settings, in a move aimed at curbing what it described as widespread misuse of the academic honour.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed the directive on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, while briefing State House correspondents after a meeting of the Federal Executive Council.
Alausa expressed concern over what he termed the increasing politicisation and commercialisation of honorary awards, noting that the trend had undermined their integrity.
He said the government observed that such honours were being deployed for political patronage and, in some instances, financial benefits, contrary to established academic ethics.
According to him, it has also become common for serving public officials to receive such awards, a practice he said violates the principles guiding honorary degree conferment.
Under the new policy, beneficiaries of honorary doctorates will no longer be allowed to prefix their names with “Dr.” Instead, they are expected to indicate the honorary nature of the award by placing the full designation after their names.
The minister stressed that the measure was necessary to preserve the sanctity of academic titles and restore credibility to honorary distinctions in the country.