Federal Government has announced that compliance with Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD) policy is now a mandatory requirement for mobilisation into, or exemption from, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Gatekeepers News reports that the directive was disclosed by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, during a national capacity-building programme for representatives of tertiary institutions in Abuja. He explained that graduates must meet the NERD compliance requirements before they can participate in the NYSC scheme or obtain exemption certificates.
NERD is a national digital platform created by the government to manage, preserve, and verify academic records across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions. The initiative was introduced in response to growing concerns over certificate racketeering and falsification of academic credentials.
Under the new rule, graduates are expected to deposit their academic outputs, including theses and project reports, into the NERD databank as part of the verification process. The repository will maintain a digital record of academic qualifications obtained from accredited institutions in the country.
Alausa explained that the enforcement of NERD compliance goes beyond NYSC mobilisation. He said key education agencies such as the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), the National Universities Commission (NUC), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), and the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) will also require institutions to comply with the policy before accessing their services.
The government noted that the initiative is designed to strengthen transparency, improve accountability in academic record-keeping, and eliminate disputes surrounding educational qualifications in Nigeria.
The policy, which took effect from October 2025, applies to graduates of universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, including those who studied outside Nigeria, while individuals already mobilised before the enforcement date are not affected.
