The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to strengthening the integrity of academic records and improving institutional compliance across the education sector as part of broader reforms aimed at safeguarding the credibility of Nigeria’s educational system.
The government also said it had taken decisive steps to curb certificate fraud following reports that Nigerians obtained questionable degrees from unaccredited institutions abroad.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa, disclosed this on Thursday during his keynote address at a national capacity-building programme for school representatives organised to support the implementation of the Nigeria Education Repository and Data Bank (NERD).
The programme, themed “Strengthening Institutional Compliance and Academic Records Integrity,” was designed to reinforce compliance frameworks and ensure the accuracy, security, and authenticity of academic records across educational institutions nationwide.
Addressing participants, Alausa underscored the importance of reliable data in governance and policymaking.
“Data is the lifeblood of effective governance. It enables us to understand the challenges we face so that we can design and implement effective solutions, as well as monitor and evaluate our progress. Without data, we are flying blind,” he said.
The minister also commended President Bola Tinubu for what he described as bold reforms aimed at repositioning the country.
According to Alausa, the Nigeria Education Repository and Data Bank is a strategic national infrastructure designed to digitise, standardise, and authenticate academic records across tertiary institutions.
He explained that the platform would administer national credential numbers, a National Credential Revocation Service, a National Student Clearinghouse, and a federated repository of academic theses and abstracts, as well as a national academic publication and indexing database.
The minister revealed that within four months of enforcement, the system had preserved nearly 100,000 digital student submissions and onboarded more than 250 universities, polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of education for real-time credential verification.
More than 133,000 students and over 6,800 lecturers have also been enrolled on the platform, supported by over 655 focal persons nationwide.
He added that more than 1,000 digital service centres had been established in partnership with Nigeria Digital Entrepreneurs, generating over 3,000 jobs within four months.
Alausa said the government acted swiftly after receiving reports of Nigerians acquiring fake degrees from dubious institutions abroad.
According to him, investigations ordered by the President uncovered cases where individuals obtained certificates from non-existent universities, some operating from single-room apartments and issuing doctoral degrees within six months.
The minister stated that those found to have obtained such illegal certificates had been removed from the civil and public service.
He also announced the establishment of the NERD Annual National Laureate Prize and Awards Programme to recognise outstanding academic research.
The awards, he said, would reward exceptional undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral theses with prizes ranging from ₦5 million to ₦20 million, with the maiden edition scheduled for November.
Alausa further directed ICT directors and institutions nationwide to fully cooperate with the initiative, stressing that compliance with national standards was mandatory.
He explained that while NERD compliance would be required for participation in or exemption from the National Youth Service Corps, the enforcement would extend to other agencies.
These include TETFund, the National Universities Commission, the National Board for Technical Education, the National Commission for Colleges of Education, the Industrial Training Fund, and all accredited tertiary institutions, which must ensure compliance as a condition for accessing services.
According to the minister, the system is anchored on transparency, traceability, and accountability, and is expected to end credential falsification and disputes over academic records.
He also urged institutions to prioritise locally developed technology platforms in line with the Federal Government’s local content policy.
In his remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of NERD, Engineer Tunji Ariyomo, described the initiative as a crucial step toward preserving Nigeria’s academic knowledge and history.
He noted that many valuable academic records and research outputs in Nigeria had historically been lost due to weak documentation and preservation systems.
Ariyomo said countries that preserve and validate knowledge over time are the ones that lead global development.
He expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for accelerating the implementation of the repository and urged institutions to study the regulations guiding the platform, particularly on issues of copyright, intellectual property, and institutional participation.
Nigeria has faced persistent challenges with certificate fraud and weak record-keeping systems within its education sector, raising concerns about the credibility of academic qualifications issued both locally and abroad.
Over the years, cases have emerged of individuals presenting forged or unverifiable degrees to secure employment, particularly in the public service, while others obtained qualifications from unaccredited institutions outside the country.
The issue gained wider attention following investigations that exposed illegal degree mills in neighbouring countries where some Nigerians were reported to have obtained certificates within unusually short periods.
The revelations prompted a federal crackdown on fraudulent credentials and renewed efforts to strengthen verification systems across the nation’s tertiary education sector.
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