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DON’T USE ‘DR’ BEFORE YOUR NAME – NUC WARNS HONORARY DOCTORATE DEGREE RECIPIENTS

November 23, 2025 • Dons Eze • 1 min read

The National Universities Commission has expressed concern over the growing misuse of honorary doctorate degrees by Nigerian universities and unaccredited institutions across the country.

The Commission’s Executive Secretary, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, disclosed this on Friday in Abuja while presenting the findings of an investigation into the “awards and public misuse of honorary doctorate degrees.”

Ribadu said the inquiry, which covered 61 institutions and professional bodies, revealed “deeply concerning” practices, including the indiscriminate conferment of honorary degrees and even the awarding of fake professorships.

The NUC boss warned that recipients of honorary doctorates must not use the title “Dr” as part of their names, stressing that such titles are reserved for holders of PhDs or medical degrees.
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Dons Eze

DONS EZE, PhD, Political Philosopher and Journalist of over four decades standing, worked in several newspaper houses across the country, and rose to the positions of Editor and General Manager. A UNESCO Fellow in Journalism, Dr. Dons Eze, a prolific writer and author of many books, attended several courses on Journalism and Communication in both Nigeria and overseas, including a Postgraduate Course on Journalism at Warsaw, Poland; Strategic Communication and Practical Communication Approach at RIPA International, London, the United Kingdom, among others.