Guideline for the award and use of Honorary Doctorate Degree in Nigeria, 2026
Date
2026
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abuja: Federal Ministry of Education,
Abstract
• Institutional eligibility. • Maturity. • Purpose and criteria for the award. • Recipient eligibility. • Confidentiality. • Award nomination and approval. • Number of awards. • Nomenclature and title of awards. • Conferment. • Fees. • Usage. • Orientation to recipients. • Record of recipients. • Revocation policy. • Sanctions.
Description
This regulatory document outlines the uniform policy framework established by the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission (NUC) for managing honorary doctorate degrees within Nigerian Universities.
The text defines strict institutional benchmark, mandating only mature and approved universities with established PhD graduation tracks to confer honorary titles. To prevent commercialization and reputational erosion, the framework strictly ban self-nominations, bars active public officials from consideration, caps the maximum number of awards at three per convocation, forbids any monetary charging or fee collection.