To tackle certificate fraud and strengthen academic integrity, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a new policy mandating graduates to submit their final-year projects before being mobilised for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
The directive, which links NYSC mobilisation to the National Policy for the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD), was announced through a circular issued by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume as it takes effect from October 6, 2025.
Citing Sections 2(4)(4) and 16(1)(C) of the NYSC Act, the Federal Government declared that no graduate, whether from a local or foreign university, will be mobilised for or exempted from NYSC without proof of compliance with the NERD policy.
Under the framework, students are required to deposit their academic outputs, including theses and project reports, into the national repository. According to Section 6.1.23 of the policy, the measure is designed to serve as both a quality assurance mechanism and proof of genuine academic enrolment.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had earlier emphasised the policy’s significance while issuing the Declaration of Effectiveness for NERD in March.
He stated that mandatory submission of academic work, as outlined in the policy, was now an “obligatory requirement in Nigeria’s education system.”
NERD spokesperson Haula Galadima explained that every uploaded submission will feature the student’s name, supervisor, co-supervisor (if applicable), Head of Department, and sponsoring institution, adding that this will not only verify authenticity but also encourage higher academic standards.
Galadima said, “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.
“One way NERD intends to accomplish this task, based on its mandate, is to strengthen the supervision processes in the nation’s higher institutions without getting involved in the processes.
“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.
“Very few lecturers would want their names associated with poorly produced academic works. NERD is therefore poised to help each lecturer earn his ‘earned allowances’ by providing thorough supervision.”