President Bola Tinubu, invoking Sections 2(4)(4) and 16(1)(C) of the NYSC Act, endorsed the reform which makes compliance with the National Policy for the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD) a mandatory condition for both mobilisation and exemption from NYSC.
Under the new rule, graduates must deposit their academic outputs – such as theses and project reports – into the NERD databank before they can be considered for national service. Government officials explained that this measure is designed to curb certificate racketeering and restore credibility to the academic system.
According to a circular issued by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, the directive takes effect from October 6, 2025. From that date, no Nigerian graduate – whether trained locally or abroad – will be mobilised for service or granted exemption without proof of NERD compliance.
Education Minister, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had earlier stressed that the NERD policy applies to all institutions of learning, whether public, private, civilian, or military, including colleges of nursing, agriculture, and research centres.
The new framework, government noted, is designed to:
- Serve as a quality assurance tool for academic work.
- Provide timestamped records of students’ academic footprints.
- Enable students and lecturers to monetise their academic deposits through a reward mechanism approved by the President.
NERD spokesperson, Haula Galadima, explained that every academic deposit must carry the names of the student, supervisor, co-supervisor, head of department, and institution. She emphasised that the policy would push lecturers to uphold higher standards of supervision since their names would appear alongside students’ works on a globally accessible platform.
The government further directed agencies such as the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to provide inter-agency data support to make onboarding seamless.
The Ministry clarified that the directive does not affect corps members currently serving or those who were mobilised before the enforcement date.
