FG’s position on the ‘Dr’ title

THE Nigerian university system has for long operated a culture of academic dilution where titles are worn by people like ornaments and honours are sometimes traded like social souvenirs. It is therefore commendable that the Federal Government has finally drawn a clear line by banning recipients of honorary doctorates from prefixing their names with the title ‘Dr’ in official, academic and professional settings. The directive, announced by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, is not only timely but necessary. It will restore the sanctity of scholarship and protect the integrity of Nigeria’s academic system.

For decades, honorary doctorate awards have been politicised and commercialised. Some universities, driven by anticipated patronal and financial benefits, conferred these honours indiscriminately on politicians, businessmen, celebrities, and public office-holders. In many cases, the recipients immediately began to parade themselves as ‘Dr’ despite never having conducted doctoral research, defended a doctoral dissertation, nor endured the rigorous intellectual discipline required for a genuine doctorate degree. The Federal Government is therefore right to insist that honorary doctorate holders should not misrepresent themselves as earned doctorate holders. Academic titles are not mere decorations; they are symbols of intellectual labour, competence, and authority. A Doctor of Philosophy degree, commonly known as PhD, is globally recognised as the highest academic qualification earned through years of intensive study, original research and scholarly contribution to knowledge. Equating this painstaking process with ceremonial recognition is unfair to scholars, and corrosive to academic standards.

Earning a doctoral degree is so important now that no university academic should get to the peak of his or her career without it. It is true that hitherto in the country, academic fields such as law, accounting and medicine, among others, were regarded as hardship areas because of the paucity institutions running Phds in them and the inadequacy of qualified supervisors. However, things have changed, as PhD programmes in these disciplines are now available in many universities in the country. Also, there are many well-established universities in foreign countries offering doctorate programmes in these disciplines. That is how important a PhD is and that is how respectable the “Dr” title should be. The title must be free from abuse as a matter of integrity.

As the English poet and critic, Samuel Johnson, famously observed, “Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.” The abuse of the ‘Dr’ title undermines both integrity and knowledge. It sends the message that academic prestige can be acquired through wealth, influence, or connections. However, while supporting the government’s position, it is important to avoid throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Honorary doctorate awards are not inherently wrong. Around the world, universities honour individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the society in various sectors. Irrefutably, Nigeria has many of such deserving personalities and landmark achievers who may deserve honorary recognition for their contributions to Nigeria’s national development. Still, the appropriate practice is for recipients of honourary doctorate awards to append “Honoris Causa” after their names, not to adopt the ‘Dr’ title in ways that mislead the public. This distinction preserves the dignity of honorary awards without confusing them with earned doctorates.

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The FG’s directive also exposes a deeper rot within the Nigerian university system itself. Some universities award honorary doctorates despite lacking active doctoral programmes in the disciplines concerned. This absurdity validates the popular saying: “You cannot give what you do not have.” A university without a functional PhD programme in a field has no moral or academic justification to confer honorary doctorates in it. Such a practice only exposes the desperation of such universities seeking relevance through theatrics rather than scholarship. More troubling is the proliferation of questionable theological schools and unaccredited institutions conferring fake PhDs and honorary titles. This has most almost reduced PhDs in Nigeria to mere tokenism. The National Universities Commission (NUC) must strengthen its monitoring mechanisms against fraudulent universities and suspicious online doctorate schemes.

Yet, while the Federal Government deserves plaudits for correcting this long-standing anomaly, the Ministry of Education must not be distracted by symbolic battles. Macro educational crises continue to threaten the nation’s future. Nigeria’s educational system faces existential challenges that go far beyond the misuse of honorary titles. Employers constantly lament the weak communication skills and low technical capacity of many graduates. Curricula in some institutions are outdated and disconnected from industrial realities and national development priorities. Patriotism, civic consciousness and ethical values are disappearing from universities at this time when Nigeria’s national unity desperately requires reinforcement. It does not help that Nigerian undergraduates are involved in cybercrime, money rituals and related crimes, pointing to a severe moral crisis within the university system.

The government must also reconsider policies that are dismissive of the humanities and arts. The removal of the requirement for a credit in mathematics for some Arts programmes and the repeated suggestion that only science and technology guarantee employability reflect a dangerously narrow understanding of education. Nations do not advance through science alone. Literature, philosophy, history, law, political science and the creative arts remain essential for governance, ethics, innovation, diplomacy, and cultural identity. Education must produce complete human beings, not mere technical workers.

Very importantly, the Keffi Declaration on Nigerian university standards should be gazetted. For example, the delivery of inaugural lectures, a symbol of authority in a given discipline which provides the intellectual proof of a professor’s original contribution to knowledge, research direction and professional vision, must be made a strong requirement for the appointment of vice chancellors in Nigerian universities. There have been vice chancellors who were appointed without fulfilling this obligation. This is at variance with the acknowledgement of Nigerian universities as ivory towers of excellence. Inaugural lecture delivery must be made compulsory for enlisting professors as resource persons and evaluators on the NUC Resource Verification and Accreditation Panels. As it is said that “no one can pour out from an empty cup”, every Nigerian professor must be found worthy before he or she can evaluate the worth of others. Nigerian universities must adhere to statutory codes of conduct, and regulations guiding all matters. The NUC must enforce discipline and sanctions as appropriate. This stance will sanitise the system and foster the right academic culture. As the Greek philosopher Aristotle wisely noted: “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” Genuine scholarship demands sacrifice, patience, discipline, and intellectual rigour. Academic titles must therefore retain their meaning and dignity.

The Nigerian university system will earn credibility when merit, integrity, and genuine scholarship are placed above vanity, politics, and social prestige. The Federal Ministry of Education and the NUC must urgently sanitise the university system.