The Federal Government has unveiled stringent measures to regulate the conferment of honorary degrees in Nigerian universities, warning that institutions and individuals found violating the new rules will face severe sanctions.

The Minister of Education Tunji Alausa said the new framework, approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), provides a legal backing to sanitize what he described as a long-standing abuse of honorary doctorate awards.

Alausa spoke while addressing State House Correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Wednesday, where he expressed concerns over the proliferation and alleged abuse of honorary awards by some tertiary institutions.

He noted that the proliferation of honorary degrees had become a “menace,” with concerns raised as far back as 2012 by university administrators, but with little success in enforcing self-regulation.

According to the minister, the new policy introduces strict eligibility criteria for universities, beginning with a prohibition on institutions that do not run accredited doctoral (PhD) programmes from awarding honorary doctorates.

“Any university that is not offering PhDs cannot award honorary doctorate degrees. Doing so will amount to a violation of the law, and there will be consequences, including sanctions against the vice chancellor,” he said.

He further disclosed that all universities must now submit nominees for honorary degrees to the National Universities Commission (NUC) for clearance before any conferment.

Under the new regime, the NUC will vet all candidates to ensure that only deserving individuals are honoured, effectively ending the era of indiscriminate awards.

The minister also warned that individuals who parade unverified honorary degrees risk prosecution, stressing that the government would verify such claims directly with awarding institutions.

“If any individual claims an honorary degree that was not duly awarded, such a person can be prosecuted. We are determined to restore integrity to the system,” he added.

He emphasized that the reforms, which took effect from April 20 following FEC approval, are aimed at restoring credibility to Nigeria’s higher education system and curbing the culture of title abuse.

On the broader issue of title usage, the minister acknowledged that while informal use of academic titles in social settings may be difficult to regulate, the government will strictly enforce compliance in all official communications and functions.

The Federal Government reiterated its commitment to upholding standards in the education sector, insisting that the new measures mark a decisive step toward accountability and discipline in the conferment of honorary degrees.