By Duchess Ifeoluwa 

The Federal Government has banned the use of the prefix “Dr” by recipients of honorary degrees in official, academic and professional settings, citing widespread abuse and politicisation of the practice.

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

Alausa said the decision followed growing concerns over the manner in which honorary degrees are being awarded and subsequently used, noting that the integrity of academic honours must be preserved.

“The recent trend we’ve seen with the award of honorary degrees has revealed a growing abuse and politicisation of this academic privilege,” he said.

He added that some of the honours were being deployed for political patronage and, in certain instances, for financial gain, while also raising ethical concerns over the conferment of such awards on serving public officials.

Under the new directive, recipients of honorary doctorates will no longer be permitted to use the “Dr” title as a prefix to their names. Instead, they are required to indicate the honorary nature of the award by stating the full designation after their names.

The minister stressed that the measure is aimed at restoring the credibility of Nigeria’s academic system and ensuring that honorary distinctions are not misrepresented as earned academic qualifications.