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NIGERIAN GOVT BANS HONORARY DEGREE HOLDERS FROM USING ‘DR’ TITLE

May 7, 2026 • Dons Eze • 1 min read

The Federal Government has banned the use of the prefix ‘Dr’ by honorary degree holders in official, academic or professional contexts.

Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa announced this on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, while briefing State House correspondents after a Federal Executive Council meeting.

According to him, “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.”

Under the new directive, individuals who receive honorary degrees will no longer be permitted to use the title ‘Dr’ before their names.

Instead, they are required to state the full honorary designation after their names.

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.