By Uche Amunike
The Federal Government and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) are working to strengthen digital verification of academic qualifications in a move aimed at curbing certificate fraud and ensuring that genuine graduates are not denied opportunities because of discrepancies in their records.
The initiative was disclosed by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, when the NYSC Director-General, Brig Gen Olakunle Nafiu, led a delegation to the ministry in Abuja.
According to Alausa, the collaboration was part of the Federal Government’s ongoing digital transformation of the education sector under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He explained that the government was seeking to connect education records across different institutions and agencies to create a reliable digital trail for every learner. The objective, he said, was to make it easier to authenticate qualifications, detect fraudulent certificates and resolve data-related challenges affecting graduates.
The minister said the Nigerian Education Repository Data Bank (NERD) was central to the process, as it is being used to collect and authenticate university certificates, track learners through different stages of education and provide support to tertiary institutions.
He also disclosed that discussions were underway with the NYSC on an application programming interface (API) that would allow both institutions to exchange relevant information more quickly and seamlessly.
The proposed NYSC digital certificate verification FG collaboration is expected to reduce delays in confirming academic credentials while helping to resolve issues that have prevented some qualified graduates from being mobilised for national service or accessing employment.
Among the challenges identified are inconsistencies in names across official records, issues involving graduates of part-time National Diploma programmes and cases involving the admission of National Certificate in Education holders into Higher National Diploma programs.
Alausa said the ministry would work with agencies including the National Board for Technical Education, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board and National Identity Management Commission to develop lasting solutions.
He further proposed a national Learner Identification Number that would provide each student with a consistent identity throughout their educational journey. A standardised system for recording and sequencing names across education and identity databases is also being considered.
The measures are part of broader government efforts to tackle fraudulent academic credentials. In 2025, the government directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies to adopt the National Credential Verification Service for authenticating certificates presented by serving and prospective employees.
The government subsequently moved to integrate NERD authentication into the NYSC mobilisation process. In March 2026, Alausa announced that prospective corps members would be required to present NERD certificates confirming their qualifications before registering for national service. The NYSC later announced that the requirement would be strictly enforced.
The urgency of the reforms has been highlighted by investigations into alleged certificate fraud. Former JAMB Registrar, Prof Is-haq Oloyede, previously disclosed that thousands of candidates had allegedly forged admission letters to qualify for NYSC mobilization.
Speaking at the meeting, Nafiu commended the ministry’s digital reforms and pledged continued NYSC cooperation. He said the Corps had pursued digitalisation since 2014 and developed systems to improve the reliability of information on corps members.
According to him, technologies such as QR codes have also strengthened the integrity of NYSC documentation and significantly reduced document cloning.
The partnership is therefore expected to create a more integrated system in which academic records can be verified efficiently before graduates are mobilised for national service or considered for employment.
