No NERD Compliance, No NYSC as FG Tackles Certificate Fraud

FG Introduces ‘No NERD, No NYSC’ Rule As Education Minister Unveils Crackdown On Certificate Fraud.

The Federal Government has intensified efforts to protect the credibility of Nigeria’s education system with the deployment of the Nigeria Education Repository and Data Bank (NERD), a national digital platform designed to secure, digitise, and authenticate academic records across tertiary institutions.

The Honourable Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, CON, announced the initiative during the National Capacity Building Programme for institutional representatives, describing NERD as critical national infrastructure for safeguarding academic credentials and strengthening education data governance.

According to the Minister, the platform supports the Federal Government’s reform agenda under the leadership of Bola Ahmed Tinubu by ensuring reliable digital preservation and verification of academic records.

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 on the platform.

Dr. Alausa explained that the initiative also addresses certificate fraud, noting that recent investigations uncovered cases involving fraudulent foreign credentials obtained from unaccredited institutions.

The Ministry further announced that participation in the NERD system will become a prerequisite for participation in or exemption from the National Youth Service Corps scheme.

The Federal Government reaffirmed its commitment to building a transparent, digitally verifiable, and globally respected education system.

Boriowo Folasade
Director, Press and Public Relations

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