By Oludotun Ogungbile, Ibadan
The Federal Government’s decision to prohibit recipients of honorary doctorate degrees from using the title “Dr” has continued to generate intense reactions across the country, with academics, education stakeholders and public commentators sharply divided over the policy.
The directive, announced by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, bars honorary doctorate awardees from prefixing “Dr” to their names in official, academic and professional engagements.
The minister warned that the practice amounts to misrepresentation of academic credentials and could attract legal and reputational consequences.
The policy has since triggered widespread debate within Nigeria’s academic and social circles, especially in a society where honorary awards are often celebrated as symbols of status, influence and prestige.
Many scholars and education experts, however, described the decision as a timely intervention aimed at restoring integrity and credibility to the nation’s educational system.
A prominent academic at the University of Abuja, Professor Ahshom Maisamari, commended the Federal Government for drawing a clear distinction between earned academic qualifications and ceremonial recognitions.
According to him, honorary doctorate recipients should not be placed on the same pedestal with individuals who obtained doctorate degrees through years of rigorous academic research and scholarly contributions.
“I commend the government for this decision because it helps to separate those who genuinely earned PhDs through academic work from those honoured for contributions to society,” he said.
Maisamari explained that honorary doctorate awards, otherwise known as Honoris Causa, are recognitions for service, philanthropy or societal impact and not academic qualifications.
“Some recipients may not even possess first degrees. It is simply recognition for contribution to humanity and not an academic achievement,” he added.
He also supported the government’s move to limit universities to awarding not more than three honorary doctorates per convocation ceremony, saying some institutions had allegedly commercialised the process.
According to him, some universities now use honorary awards to attract political patronage, donations and institutional favours instead of genuinely honouring exceptional contributions.
“It should not become a revenue-generating venture. Limiting the number will reduce abuse and restore dignity to the awards,” he stated.
Also reacting, political scientist and media practitioner, Dr. Wale Sadeeq, described the policy as “long overdue,” insisting that it would help preserve the sanctity of academic excellence.
He noted that earned doctorate degrees involve years of research, intellectual labour, supervision and scholarly engagement, unlike honorary awards which are purely ceremonial.
“An earned PhD reflects rigorous academic effort. Honorary doctorates are recognitions, not academic qualifications,” he said.
Sadeeq lamented that Nigeria’s obsession with titles had encouraged some honorary award recipients to parade themselves as academic experts and gain undue influence in society.
“Because of the craze for titles, some people use honorary doctorates to mislead the public into believing they passed through rigorous academic training,” he added.
He urged the Federal Government to go beyond the ban and investigate what he described as the growing “commercialisation and bastardisation” of honorary doctorate awards by some institutions.
Similarly, Mass Communication expert, Dr Mercy Tartsea-Anshase, described the development as a step in the right direction capable of restoring proper recognition within the academic environment.
“It is a welcome development. Before now, many genuine PhD holders had to add ‘PhD’ after their names to distinguish themselves from honorary recipients,” she said.
The immediate past Registrar of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, Professor Olusegun Ajiboye, also backed the policy, saying the abuse of honorary doctorate titles had become widespread.
According to him, the trend made it increasingly difficult to separate genuine scholars from honorary award recipients.
“The decision is in the right direction because it is aimed at sanitising the education system,” he said.
Ajiboye further alleged that some individuals had used honorary titles to seek jobs and gain professional advantages despite lacking the academic qualifications associated with earned doctorates.
Educationist, Professor Adams Onuka, also supported the government’s position, describing honorary doctorate awards as ceremonial recognitions that should never become permanent academic identities.
He lamented Nigeria’s growing obsession with titles and status symbols, arguing that the culture had contributed significantly to abuse and confusion within the system.
According to him, several respected Nigerians who received honorary doctorate awards never attached the “Dr” prefix to their names despite their accomplishments.
He cited late business icon Gamaliel Onosode as an example of distinguished personalities who maintained modesty despite receiving honorary recognitions.
Onuka also commended University of Ibadan for maintaining strict standards in the conferment of honorary awards.
He recalled that former South African President Nelson Mandela once could not receive an honorary award from the institution because he was unable to attend the ceremony physically at the time.
