The Federal Government has introduced a sweeping reform that ties NYSC mobilisation to certificate verification and the submission of academic projects.
Starting October 6, graduates from both local and foreign institutions must authenticate their certificates through the National Credential Verification Service (NCVS) and provide their thesis or project reports before mobilisation can be approved.
The directive, which many Nigerians consider unexpected, was approved by the Federal Executive Council on February 4 and conveyed in an August 8 circular by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu endorsed the reform under the National Policy for the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD), invoking Sections 2(4)(4) and 16(1)(C) of the NYSC Act.
This means no graduate will be mobilised or exempted from NYSC without showing compliance with NERD requirements.
The policy requires graduates to deposit academic outputs such as thesis and projects as proof of enrolment and to strengthen Nigeria’s intellectual records.
Under the new system, all verified certificates will be issued a National Credential Number (NCN).
Moreover, Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) are mandated to file annual NERD compliance reports by March 30.
Each MDA must appoint Focal, Record, and Digitisation Officers to handle record-keeping, digitisation, and onboarding for the NERD programme.
NERD will coordinate regulations with the National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and National Council for Colleges of Education (NCCE).
NERD spokesperson Haula Galadima explained the broader aim of the initiative.
“Apart from the mandate to verify for authenticity as a national flagship, the NERD digitisation programme has a clear objective – to raise the bar in the quality of academic content, output and presentation nationwide,” Galadima said.
She added that including the names of supervisors and heads of departments on each submission would push lecturers to improve supervision.
“If our eminent scholars are aware that their names will appear next to those of the students they supervise on a globally available digital platform, there is the likelihood that each lecturer would up his or her standard,” she explained.
The government believes this initiative will curb certificate fraud, preserve intellectual property, and improve transparency in recruitment for both the public and private sectors.
Furthermore, NERD-indexed journals will now be recognised as national academic flagships, enjoying the same recognition as global indexes like SCOPUS.
Meanwhile, compliance will be mandatory for accessing certain government services, with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) supporting validation through APIs.
Earlier in March 2025, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had described the reform as “an obligatory requirement in Nigeria” following the Declaration of Effectiveness for NERD.
All I can say is Omo! But to be real, this is a good initiative