Federal Government Implements Strict Guidelines on Honorary Doctorate Awards

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a comprehensive regulatory framework governing the award and use of honorary doctorate degrees across Nigerian universities.

The new policy aims to curb the commercialization, abuse, and indiscriminate conferment of academic honors, thereby restoring integrity to the nation’s tertiary education system.

Announcing the decision on Wednesday, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, explained that the guidelines originally developed by the National Universities Commission (NUC) establish rigorous benchmarks for eligibility, nomination, usage, and revocation.

Under the newly approved framework, only universities that have successfully graduated their first set of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students are authorized to confer honorary degrees. Furthermore, institutions are strictly limited to awarding a maximum of three honorary doctorates during any single convocation ceremony.

A major adjustment in the policy dictates that all such honors must explicitly bear the designation Honoris Causa. Crucially, the guidelines prohibit recipients from using the title “Dr.” solely on the basis of an honorary award.

To ensure strict compliance, the federal government is introducing aggressive oversight measures, including the establishment of a Special Fraud Unit under the NUC. Universities are Now mandated to publicly disclose the names of all recipients, conduct orientation programs for awardees, and maintain formal procedures to revoke honors if necessary.

The Ministry of Education warned that non-compliant institutions will face severe regulatory penalties, including the suspension of academic accreditation activities and the dissolution of university governing councils.