The Federal Government is working with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to digitally connect education records as part of measures to curb certificate fraud, improve qualification checks and ensure genuine graduates are not shut out of opportunities.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja when the NYSC Director-General, Brig Gen Olakunle Nafiu, led a delegation to the ministry.
Alausa said the initiative formed part of the digital reforms being implemented under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, aimed at strengthening the management of academic records and making verification of qualifications faster and more reliable.
He said, “The digital transformation of Nigeria’s education system under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is strengthening the integrity of academic qualifications, tackling certificate racketeering and ensuring that genuine students and graduates are not disadvantaged.”
According to him, the Nigerian Education Repository Data Bank was responsible for collecting and authenticating university certificates, monitoring learners throughout the education system and providing support to tertiary institutions through help-desk officers.
He added that the Nigerian Education Data Infrastructure would enable education records to be connected across the different stages of a learner’s academic journey.
The minister also disclosed that the ministry had fully digitised its Education Support Services, covering certificate verification and procedures involving foreign applicants.
He said, “Discussions were ongoing with the NYSC on an application programming interface that would facilitate faster verification and seamless exchange of relevant data between both institutions.”
Alausa explained that the proposed integration would help resolve administrative and data problems that have, in some cases, prevented qualified graduates from taking part in national service and accessing employment opportunities.
Among the issues requiring attention, he listed inconsistencies in names, challenges involving graduates of part-time National Diploma programmes and the admission of National Certificate in Education holders into Higher National Diploma programmes.
The minister said the ministry would collaborate with the National Board for Technical Education, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, National Identity Management Commission and other relevant bodies to address the challenges.
He said the planned reforms would include a national Learner Identification Number and a uniform system for recording and arranging names across government education and identity databases.
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According to Alausa, establishing accurate identity information from the beginning of a learner’s academic journey would help minimise inconsistencies that could create difficulties for graduates in the future.
He further said the government had intensified its efforts to combat examination malpractice, particularly the leakage of examination questions, adding that the progress recorded must be maintained and extended to tertiary institutions.
The latest initiative is part of broader government efforts to strengthen the verification of academic qualifications used for employment and NYSC mobilisation.
In September 2025, the government directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies to adopt the National Credential Verification Service for authenticating the academic certificates of existing staff and prospective employees, with implementation scheduled to begin in October that year.
The government later moved to incorporate NERD authentication into NYSC mobilisation. In March 2026, Alausa announced that prospective corps members would need NERD certificates confirming their academic qualifications before they could register for the compulsory national service.
The NYSC subsequently announced in June 2026 that it would strictly enforce the requirement to prevent fraudulent or unqualified graduates from being mobilised.
Concerns over fake academic credentials have also led to investigations and prosecutions.
In November 2025, JAMB Registrar, Prof Is-haq Oloyede, said about 15,000 candidates had allegedly forged admission letters in an effort to become eligible for NYSC mobilisation.
The issue also arose during the Federal Government’s investigation into the academic credentials of former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji. A panel reported in March 2026 that his University of Nigeria, Nsukka, degree certificate was forged, with the matter also raising questions over an NYSC certificate.
Nafiu, who spoke during the meeting, praised the ministry’s digitalisation efforts and assured the government of the NYSC’s continued cooperation in transforming the education sector.
He said the Corps had been pursuing digitalisation since 2014, developing systems designed to provide dependable information on corps members and their deployment.
The NYSC director-general added that the Corps had complied with the Federal Executive Council’s directive to collaborate with the Nigerian Education Repository Data Bank and was prepared to strengthen its partnership with the ministry.
Nafiu said technology had greatly improved the integrity of NYSC operations, noting that the introduction of QR codes had “virtually eliminated document cloning” within the organisation.