Bukola Afeni
The Federal Government has announced that participation in Nigeria’s education system through the Nigeria Education Repository and Data Bank (NERD) will become a prerequisite for participation in, or exemption from, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.
The announcement was made by the Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, as part of efforts to strengthen the credibility and transparency of the country’s education system.
In a statement signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folasade, the government said the initiative forms part of intensified efforts to protect academic integrity and curb certificate fraud.
The NERD platform is a national digital repository designed to secure, digitise, and authenticate academic records across tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
Speaking during the National Capacity Building Programme for institutional representatives, Alausa described the platform as critical national infrastructure for safeguarding academic credentials and strengthening education data governance.
According to him, the initiative supports the reform agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by ensuring reliable digital preservation and verification of academic records across the country.
“Within four months of implementation, the system has preserved nearly 100,000 digital student submissions, integrated over 250 tertiary institutions, and enrolled more than 133,000 students and 6,800 lecturers,” the minister said.
Alausa noted that the initiative also addresses the growing issue of certificate fraud, revealing that recent investigations uncovered cases involving fraudulent foreign credentials obtained from unaccredited institutions.
The Federal Government reiterated its commitment to building a transparent, digitally verifiable, and globally respected education system through the deployment of the repository.
