• Super Admin
• 06 Mar, 2026

March 06, (THEWILL) -- The Federal Government has tightened Nigeria's academic record system by making compliance with the Nigeria Education Repository and Data Bank (NERD) mandatory for all graduates seeking mobilisation into, or exemption from, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), as part of efforts to curb certificate fraud and strengthen the credibility of academic records. Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja during a national capacity-building programme for representatives of tertiary institutions across the country. Alausa said the initiative is designed to strengthen institutional compliance, promote transparency in academic documentation, and curb the growing challenge of certificate falsification. "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 explained that several government agencies and regulatory bodies, including the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), the National Universities Commission (NUC), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), and the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), are mandated to ensure compliance with the NERD platform as a condition for accessing their services. According to him, the platform serves as a reform instrument anchored on transparency, traceability, and accountability within Nigeria's education system. Alausa noted that the National Credential Verification Service component of the platform will maintain a national digital footprint of every academic qualification obtained from accredited Nigerian institutions. "We will aggressively enforce compliance to end credential falsification and eliminate disputes over academic records," he said. The minister described the NERD platform as a strategic national digital infrastructure designed to secure, standardise, digitise, and authenticate academic records across post-secondary and tertiary institutions nationwide. He revealed that within four months of enforcement, the platform has already curated nearly 100,000 digital student submissions and onboarded more than 350 universities, polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of education for real-time credential verification. According to him, over 133,000 students and about 6,800 lecturers are currently enrolled on the platform, supported by more than 655 focal persons across the country. Alausa also disclosed that more than 1,000 digital service centres have been established in collaboration with Nigerian technology entrepreneurs to facilitate access to the system. Emphasising the importance of safeguarding the integrity of academic certificates, the minister said the credibility of Nigeria's education system depends on reliable and verifiable record-keeping. "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. That guarantee is only as strong as the integrity of our record-keeping systems," he stated. The minister further recalled that before the current administration, a whistleblower exposed cases of Nigerians obtaining questionable academic qualifications from institutions in the Republic of Benin. According to him, some individuals secured doctoral degrees within six months from non-existent universities or institutions operating in makeshift facilities. "But today, I can report to you that we moved quickly as a government. Based on the President's directive, we conducted full investigations. That has been put to a complete stop. All those who obtained those illegal certificates have been removed from our civil service and public service," he said. To further encourage academic excellence and research development, Alausa announced the establishment of the NERD Annual National Knowledge Prize and Award Programme. The programme, he said, will reward outstanding undergraduate, master's, and doctoral theses with prizes ranging from ₦5 million to ₦20 million. He also urged tertiary institutions across the country to strengthen their internal verification systems, designate competent personnel, and prioritise digital capacity development to ensure full compliance with the platform. In his remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of NERD, Tunji Ariyomo, said the platform was designed to preserve Nigeria's academic knowledge and historical records, warning that poor documentation over the years has created gaps that hinder knowledge growth. Ariyomo explained that the system documents academic projects, theses, and dissertations along with details of supervisors, co-supervisors, and departmental heads, thereby strengthening accountability and improving the quality of academic supervision. He added that the platform also addresses copyright and intellectual property concerns for students, lecturers, and institutions by ensuring proper recognition and protection of academic work. Established in 2023, NERD was created in response to public outcry over persistent cases of certificate racketeering and now serves as a national digital initiative for managing, preserving, and verifying education data and academic records in collaboration with government and private sector partners. Source: https://thewillnews.com/fg-tightens-academic-record-system-mandates-nerd-for-nysc/