FG makes NERD compliance mandatory for NYSC participation, exemption

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has announced that compliance with the Nigeria Education Repository and Data Park (NERD) will now be mandatory for graduates seeking participation in, or exemption from, the National Youth Service Corps.

NERD, established in 2023, is a national digital platform created to manage, preserve, and verify academic records across Nigerian institutions. The initiative was introduced following widespread outrage over certificate racketeering and fraudulent academic qualifications.

Speaking on Thursday in Abuja during a national capacity-building programme for school representatives, Alausa said the move is part of broader reforms aimed at strengthening institutional compliance and tackling academic fraud.

He explained that compliance with NERD would now serve as a key requirement for NYSC participation or exemption, but stressed that enforcement would extend beyond the scheme.

“It is important to clarify that while NERD compliance is now a prerequisite for participation in, or exemption from, the National Youth Service Corps, enforcement extends far beyond NYSC,” the minister said.

He added that agencies such as the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), and the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), as well as all accredited tertiary institutions, have been directed to ensure compliance as a condition for accessing their services.

According to him, the NERD platform is designed to promote transparency, accountability, and traceability in Nigeria’s education system.

He said the National Credential Verification Service under the platform would maintain a digital footprint of all academic awards obtained from accredited Nigerian institutions, enabling authorities to track and authenticate credentials in real time.

“We will aggressively enforce compliance to end credential falsification and eliminate disputes over academic records,” Alausa stated.

The minister described NERD as a strategic digital infrastructure aimed at securing, standardising, digitising, and authenticating academic records across post-secondary and tertiary institutions nationwide.

He revealed that within four months of enforcement, the platform had already processed nearly 100,000 digital student submissions and onboarded more than 350 universities, polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of education for real-time verification.

Alausa also disclosed that more than 133,000 students and 6,800 lecturers have been registered on the platform, with support from over 655 focal persons across institutions nationwide. In addition, more than 1,000 digital service centres have been established in partnership with Nigerian technology entrepreneurs.

The minister emphasised that protecting the integrity of academic certificates is critical to maintaining public confidence in Nigeria’s education system.

“Education is a covenant between the state and its citizens. When a certificate is issued, it is not merely paper; it is a national guarantee that due process was followed and standards were upheld,” he said.

Alausa also recalled previous cases where Nigerians obtained questionable academic certificates from institutions in the Republic of Benin, including cases where PhD degrees were reportedly issued within six months.

He said the federal government had taken decisive action following investigations ordered by Bola Tinubu, leading to the dismissal of individuals who obtained such illegal certificates from the civil service.

As part of efforts to promote academic excellence, the minister also announced the launch of the NERD Annual National Knowledge Prize and Award Programme, which will reward outstanding undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral theses with prizes ranging from ₦5 million to ₦20 million.

He urged tertiary institutions to strengthen internal verification systems, appoint competent personnel, and invest in digital capacity development to ensure full compliance with the new initiative.

Also speaking, Tunji Ariyomo, Chief Executive Officer of NERD, stressed the importance of preserving Nigeria’s academic knowledge and historical records, warning that poor documentation has created gaps that limit knowledge development.

He added that the platform documents academic projects, theses, and dissertations alongside details of supervisors, co-supervisors, and departmental heads, improving accountability and strengthening the quality of academic supervision.

Ariyomo further said the platform helps address copyright and intellectual property concerns by ensuring proper recognition and protection of academic work produced by students, lecturers, and institutions.

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