The Federal Government has announced a new policy prohibiting individuals awarded honorary degrees from using the title “Dr” before their names.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, made the announcement during a press briefing at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday, following a Federal Executive Council meeting held on April 30.
According to him, the decision was taken to address the rising abuse of honorary degrees, which he said have increasingly been influenced by political patronage and financial interests rather than academic merit.
He explained that some institutions have also been found to confer such awards on serving public officials in ways that contradict the original intent of honorary recognitions.
“The recent trend we’ve seen with the award of honorary degrees has revealed a growing abuse and politicisation of this academic privilege. We’ve seen awards being used for political patronage, for financial gain, as well as the conferral of awards on serving public officials, which, as part of the ethics of honorary degree awards, should not happen.”
Alausa further stated that universities that fail to comply with the directive will face sanctions. He also noted that vice chancellors have been instructed to tighten the approval process.
Going forward, he added that all institutions must obtain clearance from the National Universities Commission before awarding honorary degrees.
