The Federal Government has launched a digital platform designed to verify and preserve academic records across tertiary institutions in Nigeria, declaring that graduates whose records are not captured on the platform will not be eligible for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
The platform, known as the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD), was unveiled by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, as part of ongoing reforms to strengthen the integrity of Nigeria’s education system and curb certificate fraud.
Alausa said compliance with the NERD system had become a mandatory requirement for participation in, or exemption from, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), stressing that the initiative would ensure that all academic qualifications obtained from accredited institutions are digitally verified.
According to him, the repository serves as a national digital infrastructure that standardises, authenticates and preserves academic records for universities, polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education across the country.
He explained that the platform would issue a National Credential Number for each academic award and maintain a centralised system for verifying certificates and academic records nationwide.
The minister said the policy was introduced to address the growing problem of fake academic certificates and questionable degrees obtained from unaccredited institutions, both within and outside Nigeria.
Alausa noted that the initiative would also help government agencies and employers confirm the authenticity of academic credentials quickly and accurately.
“Education is a covenant between the state and its citizens. When a certificate is issued, it is a national guarantee that due process was followed and standards were upheld,” he said.
The minister disclosed that within four months of implementation, the platform had already recorded significant progress, with nearly 100,000 digital student submissions preserved and more than 250 tertiary institutions onboarded for real-time credential verification.
He added that over 133,000 students and 6,800 lecturers had been registered on the system, supported by hundreds of institutional focal persons across the country.
The NERD system also includes components such as a National Credential Verification Service, a National Student Clearinghouse, and a digital repository for academic theses and research publications.
Alausa further revealed that more than 1,000 digital service centres had been established in collaboration with Nigerian digital entrepreneurs to support the implementation of the platform, generating over 3,000 jobs nationwide.
The minister urged tertiary institutions to fully comply with the policy, warning that the government would strictly enforce the rule.
He emphasised that agencies such as the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) would integrate the system into their institutional oversight processes.
The initiative, he said, would improve transparency, ensure reliable academic data, and restore confidence in Nigerian academic qualifications.
Alausa also announced plans to introduce the NERD Annual National Laureate Prize, which will reward outstanding undergraduate, master’s and doctoral research with prizes ranging from ₦5 million to ₦20 million.
He stressed that the digital repository would preserve Nigeria’s academic knowledge base for future generations while strengthening global recognition of Nigerian educational credentials.
