By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The Federal Government has prohibited recipients of honorary degrees from using the title “Dr” before their names in official, academic, or professional contexts, warning that violators will be treated as engaging in academic fraud.

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

Alausa said the policy was introduced to address what he described as the growing abuse and politicisation of honorary degrees in Nigeria’s tertiary education system.

“The recent trend in the award of honorary degrees has revealed increasing abuse and politicisation of this academic privilege,” he said.

He added that honorary degrees were increasingly being used for political patronage, financial inducement and recognition of serving public officials, contrary to established academic ethics.

“We have seen awards being used for political patronage, for financial gain, and the conferral of honorary degrees on serving public officials, which should not happen,” he said.

The minister warned that misrepresentation of honorary degrees as earned academic qualifications would now attract sanctions.

“Misrepresentation of honorary degrees as earned academic credentials shall be treated as academic fraud, with legal and reputational consequences,” he stated.

Under the new policy, holders of honorary degrees are barred from using “Dr” as a prefix. Instead, they must clearly indicate the honorary nature of the award after their names.

He gave examples such as “Chief Louis Clark, D.Lit. (Honoris Causa)” and “Mrs Miriam Adamu, LL.D. Honoris Causa,” noting that the format distinguishes honorary awards from earned doctorates.

Alausa further explained that only four categories of honorary degrees are now recognised: Doctor of Laws (LL.D), Doctor of Letters (D.Lit), Doctor of Science (D.Sc), and Doctor of Humanities (D.Arts).

He also stated that universities without active postgraduate research programmes leading to PhD awards will no longer be allowed to confer honorary degrees.

According to him, the move is aimed at curbing the proliferation of institutions that award honorary doctorates without meeting proper academic standards.

The minister added that the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission (NUC) will issue implementation guidelines to all universities, while convocation ceremonies will be monitored for compliance.

He said a national register of honorary degree recipients will also be published annually to protect the integrity of academic qualifications in the country.

Alausa confirmed that the policy has been approved by the Federal Executive Council and is now enforceable nationwide.

A broad coalition of business leaders in Kano has publicly called on Ambassador Dr. Mukhtar Gashash to contest the state’s governorship in the 2027 general elections, citing his longstanding support for traders and entrepreneurs as a key reason for their endorsement.

The appeal was made during a press briefing held at the Kano Press Centre, where prominent figures in the local business ecosystem addressed journalists on behalf of traders, investors, and stakeholders across multiple sectors of the state’s economy.

Speaking at the event, Alhaji Abdulaziz Dalha Musa Dala, alongside Ambassador MD Musa Sani Mainagge, said the call reflects a growing consensus within the business community about the direction of the state ahead of the next election cycle.

According to the group, their endorsement of Ambassador Dr. Mukhtar Gashash is the result of “wide consultations and careful consideration,” emphasizing that the decision was not made lightly but is rooted in years of trust and collaboration.

“For many years, Ambassador Gashash has stood firmly with traders and business operators,” Dala stated. “He has provided leadership, guidance, and intervention in critical matters affecting livelihoods, including regulatory challenges, taxation issues, customs-related concerns, and engagements with law enforcement agencies.”

The business leaders described Gashash as a dependable advocate who has consistently served as a bridge between the private sector and government institutions. They credited his accessibility, responsiveness, and commitment to protecting business interests as factors that have earned him widespread respect among stakeholders.

Highlighting his qualifications, the group noted that Gashash possesses a deep understanding of the challenges faced by entrepreneurs and investors in Kano State. They also pointed to his perceived integrity, leadership capacity, and experience as qualities necessary to drive meaningful economic and social transformation.

“He represents a unifying figure capable of promoting economic growth, stability, and prosperity,” Mainagge added.

The coalition further emphasized that their call reflects a broader aspiration within the business community to see one of their own someone familiar with their struggles and aligned with their vision take on the leadership of the state.

They also urge Gashash to carefully consider their appeal in the interest of Kano State’s development and the well-being of its people, expressing hope that his potential candidacy could usher in a more inclusive and prosperous future.

Kaduna State became the latest stop in a growing national campaign against misinformation on Tuesday, as Alkalanci a Hausa-language fact-checking and media literacy organisation commenced a two-day training workshop for female Islamic scholars and teachers drawn from across the state.

The initiative, which has previously held sessions in Kano, Sokoto, Gombe and Maradi in Niger Republic, marks its first women-focused edition in Kaduna, with organisers expressing confidence it will deliver its most consequential results yet.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Managing editor and program manager of Alkalanci Victoria Bamas, framed the gathering around the responsibilities that women carry as society’s primary educators. “If you educate a man, you educate an individual; but if you educate a woman, you educate a nation,” she said, invoking a widely cited maxim to underscore the workshop’s rationale.

Bamas warned that the spread of misinformation and disinformation including content manipulated by deepfake technology posed mounting dangers to Nigerian communities, particularly as the country moves toward another election cycle. She urged participants, as trusted voices in their communities, to take on the role of defenders of accurate information. “Pause, question, verify, and ultimately reject falsehood,” she urged.

The workshop was designed with an all-women team of facilitators drawn from academia, the media and religious institutions. Participants will receive practical tools for verifying text, images and video content, with the expectation that they carry the training back to their communities and multiply its reach.

Kaduna State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hon. Rabi Ibrahim, commended Alkalanci for targeting women in its outreach, and drew attention to the particular harm caused by deepfake content circulated against women and girls on social media. She described media literacy and verification skills as essential not just for the women trained, but for the broader communities they serve and protect.

The Deputy Amira of Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations of Nigeria (FOMWAN) Hauwa Idris also pledged its support and partnership, with its delegation framing the fight against misinformation in humanitarian terms. “Combatting misinformation is like preventing a crisis it means saving humanity,” a spokesperson said. FOMWAN committed to cascading the knowledge gained at the workshop to women across all the states where it operates.

Representatives of Jamiiyyar Matan Arewa, Hajiya Ladi Garba the umbrella body for northern Nigerian women, echoed those sentiments, noting that the effects of disinformation from lost lives to health crises fall disproportionately on women. The group pledged institutional support for organisations like Alkalanci in their efforts to equip women with the tools to critically assess information they encounter.

Alkalanci said the Kaduna edition builds on lessons from its earlier engagements across the region, and that outcomes from those sessions had already demonstrated measurable impact in communities’ ability to identify and resist false narratives.