The Federal Government is moving to establish a digital data link between the education records system and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to strengthen the verification of academic qualifications and curb certificate racketeering.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday when the Director-General of the NYSC, Brig Gen Olakunle Nafiu, led a delegation of the Corps on a visit to the ministry in Abuja.
Alausa said the proposed integration would enable faster and more seamless verification of academic records, while helping to address administrative and identity-related discrepancies that could prevent genuine graduates from accessing opportunities, including national service.
He said the initiative was part of broader digital reforms being implemented under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to strengthen the integrity of Nigeria’s education system.
“The digital transformation of Nigeria’s education system under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is strengthening the integrity of academic qualifications, tackling certificate racketeering and ensuring that genuine students and graduates are not disadvantaged,” he said.
The minister said the Nigerian Education Repository Data Bank (NERD) was being developed to collect and verify university certificates, track learners across the education system and provide support to tertiary institutions through help-desk officers.
He added that the Nigerian Education Data Infrastructure would link records across different stages of a learner’s educational journey, creating a more integrated system for managing and authenticating educational qualifications.
According to him, the ministry had also digitised its Education Support Services end-to-end, covering certificate verification and processes involving foreign applicants.
Alausa said discussions were already underway with the NYSC on the technical integration of both institutions’ systems.
“Discussions were ongoing with the NYSC on an application programming interface that would facilitate faster verification and seamless exchange of relevant data between both institutions,” he said.
He explained that the digital reforms were also aimed at resolving longstanding challenges that had affected qualified graduates, particularly where discrepancies in official records prevented them from participating fully in national service or accessing employment opportunities.
The minister identified discrepancies in names, issues involving graduates of part-time National Diploma programmes and the admission of National Certificate in Education holders into Higher National Diploma programmes among the areas requiring urgent attention.
He said the ministry would collaborate with relevant agencies, including the National Board for Technical Education, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board and National Identity Management Commission, to develop sustainable solutions to the challenges.
Alausa said one of the proposed measures was the introduction of a national Learner Identification Number that would provide a consistent identity for learners throughout their educational journey.
He added that government was also working towards establishing a uniform framework for recording and sequencing names across education and identity databases.
According to him, establishing accurate identity records from the beginning of a learner’s educational journey would reduce discrepancies that could later affect academic qualifications, national service mobilisation and employment.
The minister also highlighted measures taken by the government to strengthen the fight against examination malpractice, including the leakage of examination questions, saying the progress recorded must be sustained and extended to tertiary institutions.
The latest initiative forms part of the Federal Government’s broader efforts to tighten the authentication of academic credentials used for employment and mobilisation for national service.
In September 2025, the government directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies to begin using the National Credential Verification Service to authenticate academic certificates presented by staff and new employees, with implementation scheduled to commence in October 2025.
The government subsequently moved to incorporate NERD authentication into the NYSC mobilisation process.
In March 2026, Alausa said prospective corps members would be required to present NERD certificates authenticating their academic qualifications before registering for the compulsory national service.
The NYSC also announced in June 2026 that it would strictly enforce the requirement as part of efforts to prevent unqualified or fraudulent graduates from gaining entry into the national service scheme.
The issue of fraudulent academic credentials has also featured in recent investigations and prosecutions.
In November 2025, former JAMB Registrar, Prof Is-haq Oloyede, disclosed that about 15,000 candidates had allegedly forged admission letters in an attempt to qualify for NYSC mobilisation.
Similarly, an investigation by the Federal Government into the academic credentials of former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, culminated in a panel finding in March 2026 that his University of Nigeria, Nsukka degree certificate was forged. The case also raised questions concerning an NYSC certificate.
Speaking during the meeting, Nafiu commended the ministry’s digital reforms and pledged the NYSC’s continued support for the transformation of the education sector.
He said the Corps had pursued digitalisation since 2014 and developed systems designed to provide reliable information on corps members and support their deployment.
Nafiu disclosed that the NYSC had complied with the Federal Executive Council’s directive on collaboration with the Nigerian Education Repository Data Bank and was prepared to deepen its partnership with the ministry.
The NYSC Director-General said technology had significantly strengthened the integrity of the Corps’ operations, particularly through the introduction of QR codes.
According to him, the technology had “virtually eliminated document cloning” within the NYSC.
Certificate Fraud: FG, NYSC Deepen Digital Records Link
