The Federal Government has approved far-reaching guidelines regulating the award and use of honorary doctorate degrees by Nigerian universities, in a decisive move to curb abuse, restore academic integrity, and safeguard the credibility of the nation's higher education system.

The new policy, approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), was developed by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and announced in a statement issued by the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Mrs. Folasade Boriowo.

Announcing the development, the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa, said the guidelines were introduced in response to growing concerns over the commercialization, misuse, and indiscriminate conferment of honorary academic awards across the country.

According to the Minister, the policy is designed to strengthen transparency, accountability, and public confidence in the university system.

Under the new regulations, only universities that have successfully graduated their first set of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students will be eligible to confer honorary doctorate degrees. In addition, institutions are restricted to awarding a maximum of three honorary degrees during any convocation ceremony.

A key provision of the guidelines requires that all honorary doctorate awards bear the designation Honoris Causa. The government also expressly prohibited recipients from adopting the title “Dr.” solely on the basis of receiving an honorary doctorate.

The guidelines further mandate universities to publicly disclose the names of honorary degree recipients, provide orientation programmes for awardees, and establish clear procedures for the withdrawal or revocation of honorary awards where necessary.

To ensure compliance, the Federal Government has established oversight mechanisms, including a dedicated monitoring unit under the National Universities Commission.

The government warned that institutions that violate the guidelines may face severe sanctions, including the suspension of accreditation activities and the possible dissolution of governing councils.

The new policy follows concerns repeatedly raised by the NUC over the increasing abuse of honorary doctorate awards and the activities of unauthorized organizations conferring academic titles without approval.

Education stakeholders have described the guidelines as a significant step toward restoring the prestige and value of honorary academic distinctions in Nigeria's university system.