The policy, endorsed by the Federal Executive Council, outlines clear conditions for eligibility, nomination, awarding, usage, and withdrawal of honorary doctorate degrees.
The announcement was made in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo.
Speaking on the development, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said the reform was necessary due to increasing concerns over the misuse, commercialization, and abuse of honorary academic titles in the country.
“The Federal Government has approved comprehensive guidelines for the award and use of honorary doctorate degrees in Nigeria to strengthen academic integrity, transparency, and the credibility of the university system.
“The Honourable Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, disclosed that the policy addresses concerns over abuse, commercialisation, and misuse of honorary awards.
“The guidelines were developed by the National Universities Commission and approved by the Federal Executive Council.
“The framework sets clear rules on eligibility, nomination, approval, conferment, usage, and revocation of honorary doctorate degrees,” the statement read.
Under the new framework, only universities that have successfully graduated their first cohort of PhD holders will be permitted to confer honorary doctorate degrees.
The policy also limits institutions to a maximum of three honorary awards during each convocation ceremony.
In addition, all honorary doctorates must be clearly labeled “Honoris Causa,” and recipients will no longer be allowed to adopt the title “Dr.” solely based on such awards.
To enforce compliance, the Federal Government has introduced monitoring mechanisms, including the establishment of a Special Fraud Unit under the National Universities Commission (NUC), tasked with overseeing adherence to the guidelines.
Universities are now required to publish the names of honorary degree recipients, organise proper orientation for awardees, and establish formal procedures for revocation where necessary.
“All honorary degrees must carry the designation ‘Honoris Causa,’ and recipients are prohibited from using the title ‘Dr.’ The guidelines also establish oversight mechanisms, including a Special Fraud Unit under the NUC to monitor compliance.
“Universities are required to publish recipients’ names, provide orientation to awardees, and implement revocation procedures where necessary,” it stated.
The Minister cautioned that institutions that fail to comply with the new rules will face strict penalties.
“The Federal Government directed strict compliance, warning that violations may attract sanctions including suspension of accreditation activities and dissolution of governing councils,” the statement added.
The guidelines follow earlier regulatory efforts by the NUC to curb the rising trend of indiscriminate awarding of honorary doctorates and the involvement of unauthorized bodies in issuing such titles.
The commission said the reforms are intended to protect academic integrity, improve transparency, and safeguard the reputation of Nigerian universities, while warning that erring institutions will be sanctioned.