The Federal Government has intensified effort to end certificate fraud and protect the credibility of Nigeria’s education system. Also in a bid to strengthen the integrity of academic records in the country, the FG has deployed the Nigeria Education Repository and Data Bank (NERD).
In a statement on Friday, The Federal Ministry of Education Director, Press and Public Relations, Folasade Boriowo, explained that NERD is a national digital platform designed to secure, digitise, and authenticate academic records across tertiary institutions.
“The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, announced the initiative during the National Capacity Building Programme for institutional representatives, describing NERD as critical national infrastructure for safeguarding academic credentials and strengthening education data governance,” the statement read.
According to the minister, the platform supports the Federal Government’s reform agenda under the leadership of Bola Tinubu by ensuring reliable digital preservation and verification of academic records.
Within four months of implementation, he said the system has preserved nearly 100,000 digital student submissions, integrated over 250 tertiary institutions, and enrolled more than 133,000 students and 6,800 lecturers on the platform.
Dr. Alausa explained that the initiative also addresses certificate fraud, noting that recent investigations uncovered cases involving fraudulent foreign credentials obtained from unaccredited institutions.
The Ministry of Education further announced that participation in the NERD system will become a prerequisite for participation in or exemption from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.
“The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to building a transparent, digitally verifiable, and globally respected education system,” the statement added
