Nigerian graduates seeking to register for the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) must now present a certificate issued by the Nigerian Education Repository and Databank (NERD), authenticating their certificates.
In August, the Nigerian government directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government to comply with the NERD policy introduced.
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The policy introduced the National Credential Verification Service (NCVS) and the National Credential Number (NCN) for all certificates issued by Nigerian tertiary institutions to verify and authenticate academic certificates of staff and new hires in all government organisations.
The policy directed the MDAs to, from 6 October 2025, begin to use the NCVS to verify academic certificates of prospective NYSC corps members, staff and new hires in all government organisations.
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However, it was temporarily waived for prospective NYSC members last year as it fell “within the transitional period and their mobilisation processes had started before the deadline (was) set”.
Mandate
Speaking at a capacity-building workshop for representatives of tertiary institutions in Abuja on Thursday, the Education Minister, Tunji Alausa, said all graduates now require an NERD certificate to register for the NYSC.
“It is important to clarify that the Nigerian education repository and data path compliance is now a prerequisite for participation or exemption from the National Youth Service for efforts to promote NYSC,” Mr Alausa said.
The minister has also made compliance by Nigerian tertiary institutions a prerequisite to access funds and other services from agencies such as 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).
Mr Alausa explained that the national credential service component will maintain a national digital footprint of every academic award obtained in accredited Nigerian institutions.
“We will aggressively enforce compliance and credentials for diversification and eliminate disputes over academic records. To our Nigerian education officers, record officers and determination officers, you are custodians of institutional legitimacy. The diligence between you and your work includes uploading records determined by trusted employers, foreign institutions and regulatory bodies at Nigerian institutions,” he said.
Workshop
The workshop brought together officials from the Federal Ministry of Education, NUC, NBTE, NCCE, universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
Mr Alausa said the training was convened to strengthen the implementation and enforcement of the Nigeria Education Integrity and Data Programme.
“The Nigeria Education Repository and Data Bank is not merely a technology platform. It is a structured national infrastructure designed to secure, standardise, digitise, and authenticate academic records across post-secondary and tertiary institutions in Nigeria,” he said.
“It represents the federal government’s firm commitment to education data ownership, zero tolerance to academic fraud, and the preservation of our national academic history.”
He emphasised the need for accurate record-keeping to understand the challenges facing the education sector as well as implement effective solutions.
“Data is the lifeblood of effective governance,” he said. “Without data, we are flying blind, and that’s not what this government is about.”
Mr Alausa noted that NERD, through a collaboration with the Nigeria Digital Engineers, has established over 1,000 digital service centres across the country and created over 3,000 jobs in the process.
The minister commended also the Chief Executive Officer of the NERD, Olatunji Ariyomo.
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Earlier in his welcome address, Mr Ariyomo said the NERD initiative is about preserving the historical and economic data of the country.
“Countries that preserve their data, 1,000 years ago, today, are able to layer on and cascade that information. If you don’t have that as a nation, then you don’t have a nation,” he said.
Over 133,000 students enrolled
The minister said more than 133,000 students and 6,800 lecturers have successfully enrolled in the NERD platform.
He added that over 800,000 academic projects by students have been uploaded to the NERD portal four months since enforcement began.
Mr Alausa said over 250 universities, polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of education have also been onboarded for real-time credential verification.
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