President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a major reform linking participation in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to compliance with the National Policy for the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD).
Under the new directive—anchored on Sections 2(4)(4) and 16(1)(C) of the NYSC Act—no Nigerian graduate will be mobilised for or exempted from NYSC without proof of NERD compliance, effective October 6, 2025. The enforcement order was conveyed in a circular issued by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, following the President’s approval.
The NERD policy, introduced in March 2025 by the Ministry of Education, requires students to deposit academic outputs—including theses and final-year project reports—into a national repository. According to Section 6.1.23 of the policy, the requirement serves as a quality assurance check and an independent proof of academic enrolment, creating a permanent digital record of scholarly work.
Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa explained that the policy aims to combat certificate racketeering, strengthen academic supervision, and protect Nigeria’s intellectual assets. Deposited works will carry the full names of students, supervisors, and heads of department, ensuring accountability and raising academic standards.
The directive applies to all graduates, whether educated in Nigeria or abroad, across universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and specialised institutions, including military schools. Serving corps members or those mobilised before the October deadline are exempt.
President Tinubu also approved a monetisation and reward mechanism that allows students and lecturers to earn lifetime revenues from their academic deposits. Each institution is expected to establish a local repository while critical data agencies like NIMC will enable inter-agency data exchange to support verification and onboarding.
NERD spokesperson Haula Galadima said the national digitisation drive is designed to elevate the quality of academic content nationwide:
“If our eminent scholars know their names will appear alongside students’ on a globally available platform, there is a strong incentive to improve supervision and output.”
With the new policy, proof of NERD compliance is now a prerequisite for NYSC mobilisation or exemption, marking one of the most far-reaching education and youth service reforms in decades.
