The Federal Government of Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the credibility of the nation’s education system, announcing renewed efforts to strengthen the integrity of academic records and curb certificate fraud across tertiary institutions.
Minister of Education Maruf Alausa disclosed this on Thursday while delivering a keynote address at a national capacity-building programme for institutional representatives participating in the implementation of the Nigeria Education Repository and Data Bank (NERD).
The programme, themed “Strengthening Institutional Compliance and Academic Records Integrity,” is designed to enhance compliance frameworks and ensure that academic records across Nigerian institutions remain accurate, secure and verifiable.
Addressing participants, the minister emphasised the central role of reliable data in governance and national planning.
“Data is the lifeblood of effective governance,” Alausa said. “Without data, we are flying blind. It helps us understand the challenges we face, design solutions and monitor progress.”
According to him, the NERD platform represents a strategic national infrastructure aimed at digitising, standardising and authenticating academic records across universities, polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education.
The system is expected to introduce features such as a national credential number, a National Credential Revocation Service, a National Student Clearinghouse, and a federated digital repository for theses, research abstracts and academic publications.
The minister revealed that within four months of enforcement, the initiative had already preserved nearly 100,000 digital student submissions while onboarding more than 250 tertiary institutions for real-time credential verification.
Over 133,000 students and 6,800 lecturers are currently enrolled on the platform, supported by more than 655 focal officers nationwide.
Alausa also noted that the initiative has generated employment opportunities, with more than 1,000 digital service centres established in partnership with Nigeria Digital Entrepreneurs, creating over 3,000 jobs within a short period.
The minister said the government moved swiftly to address concerns over Nigerians obtaining questionable academic qualifications from dubious institutions abroad, particularly in neighbouring countries.
“Education is a covenant between the State and its citizens,” he said. “When a certificate is issued, it is not merely paper; it is a national guarantee that due process was followed and standards were upheld.”
He explained that investigations initiated on the directive of Bola Tinubu uncovered cases where individuals obtained academic degrees from unaccredited institutions operating under questionable circumstances.
According to him, those found to have used such illegal certificates in public service have been removed from government employment.
To further encourage academic excellence, the minister announced the establishment of the NERD Annual National Laureate Prize and Awards Programme, which will recognise outstanding undergraduate, master’s and doctoral research with prizes ranging from ₦5 million to ₦20 million. The maiden edition of the awards is scheduled for November.
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Alausa also directed ICT directors and educational institutions nationwide to comply fully with the NERD framework, warning that adherence to the platform is now a prerequisite for participation in or exemption from the National Youth Service Corps programme.
Other regulatory bodies, including the National Universities Commission, the National Board for Technical Education, the National Commission for Colleges of Education, and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, have also been mandated to enforce compliance among institutions seeking their services.
In his remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of NERD, Tunji Ariyomo, described the repository as a crucial step toward preserving Nigeria’s academic knowledge and research outputs.
He said the initiative would address long-standing challenges in documentation and knowledge preservation that have historically limited the country’s ability to build on previous research and intellectual contributions.
“Nations that preserve and validate knowledge over time are the ones leading global development,” Ariyomo said, urging participating institutions to support the implementation process.
Nigeria has struggled for years with certificate fraud and weak record-keeping systems within its education sector.
Reports of forged or unverifiable degrees used to secure employment — particularly within public institutions — have raised concerns about the credibility of academic qualifications both locally and internationally.
The federal government believes that the new digital repository and verification system will help restore confidence in Nigerian academic credentials while strengthening transparency, accountability and global competitiveness within the country’s education sector.