FG prohibits elected officials from receiving honorary doctorate awards

By Taiwo Scholarstica

The Federal Government has approved new guidelines for the award and use of honorary doctorate degrees in Nigerian universities prohibiting elected Nigerian officials from receiving the honour.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, announced the approval in an official communication sent to Vice-Chancellors and Pro-Chancellors of universities across Nigeria.

The guidelines, developed by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and approved by the Federal Ministry of Education after endorsement by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), were introduced following widespread concerns over the abuse, commercialization, and misuse of honorary doctorate awards.

According to the Ministry, the new framework sets clear standards for the nomination, approval, conferment, use, and possible withdrawal of honorary doctorate degrees in Nigerian universities.

Under the new rules, only approved universities whether public or private will be eligible to award honorary doctorate degrees. The guidelines also stipulate that universities must have graduated their first set of PhD students before they qualify to confer such awards.

The government explained that honorary degrees should be reserved exclusively for individuals who have made exceptional and lasting contributions to society. The awards are expected to reflect the core values of the institution and promote diversity.

The new policy requires universities to maintain a transparent selection process. All nominations must be approved by the university Senate and Governing Council before being forwarded to the NUC for final clearance.

The guidelines also exclude self-nominations and prohibit serving elected or appointed public officials from receiving honorary doctorate awards.

The government has also placed a strict limit on the number of honorary degrees a university can award during a convocation, stating that institutions must not confer more than three awards at a single ceremony.

It strongly warned universities against commercializing the process, stating that recipients must not be charged any fees or be expected to make financial payments in exchange for the honor.

The guidelines further clarified that recipients of honorary doctorate degrees cannot use the title “Dr.” because the prefix is strictly reserved for individuals who have earned academic doctoral or medical degrees. However, recipients are permitted to use approved honorary post-nominal titles after their names.

Recipients are also prohibited from using honorary degrees to present themselves as scholars, supervise academic research, or occupy academic roles.

To promote openness, universities are required to publish the names of honorary degree recipients on their official websites.
The Federal Government warned that any university found violating these guidelines will face severe sanctions, including regulatory interventions and possible accreditation penalties.

The Ministry emphasized that the reforms are aimed at strengthening the quality, credibility, and international reputation of Nigerian universities, ensuring that honorary degrees remain symbols of excellence, integrity, and meaningful societal contributions.