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 the country’s educational system.
The government also stated that it had taken decisive steps to curb certificate fraud, following reports that Nigerians had 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.
The programme, themed ‘Strengthening Institutional Compliance and Academic Records Integrity,’ was organised to reinforce compliance frameworks and ensure the accuracy, security and authenticity of academic records across educational institutions nationwide.
Addressing participants, the minister underscored the importance of reliable data in governance and policymaking.
“I have this quote right in my office that I read every day. 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. And that is not what this government is about,” he said.
The minister also praised President Bola Tinubu for pursuing what he described as difficult but necessary reforms.
“We have seen this president take difficult decisions. Our country is being transformed like it’s never been before. Positive transformation in a way that is laying our country on the path of sustainability,” he said.
According to the minister, NERD is a strategic national infrastructure designed to digitise, standardise and authenticate academic records across tertiary institutions in the country.
Tunji 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.
Alausa said 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 are now enrolled on the platform, supported by over 655 focal persons nationwide,” he said.
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.
The minister also disclosed that the government had acted swiftly after receiving reports of Nigerians acquiring fake degrees from dubious institutions abroad.
Tunji explained, “Let me emphasise that education is a covenant between the State and its citizens. When a certificate is issued, it is not merely paper; it is a national guarantee that due process was followed and standards were upheld. That guarantee is only as strong as the integrity of our record-keeping systems.
“Before President Tinubu came into government, there was a whistleblower who reported about Nigerians going to the Republic of Benin to study. Some people were getting PhD certificates in just six months, universities that never existed, universities in one-room apartments, giving certificates.
“But today, I can report to you that we moved quickly as a government. Based on the President’s directive, we conducted full investigations. That has been put to a complete stop. And all of those people that got those illegal certificates have all been thrown out of our civil service, public service.”
Alausa further announced the establishment of the NERD Annual National Laureate Prize and Awards Programme to recognise outstanding academic research.
“To further promote academic excellence, I have approved the establishment of the Nigeria Education Repository and Data Bank Annual National Laureate Prize and Awards Programme, which will reward outstanding undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral theses, with prizes ranging from five million to twenty million naira,” he said, adding that the maiden edition would take place in November.
He directed ICT directors and institutions nationwide to fully cooperate with the initiative, stressing that adherence to national standards was compulsory.
Explaining further, the minister said, “It is important to clarify that while NERD compliance is now a prerequisite for participation in, or exemption from, the National Youth Service Corps, enforcement extends far beyond NYSC.
“Agencies such as TETFund, the National Universities Commission, the National Board for Technical Education, the National Commission for Colleges of Education, and the Industrial Training Fund, as well as all accredited tertiary institutions, are mandated to ensure compliance as a condition for accessing their services.
“NERD is therefore a reform instrument, anchored on transparency, traceability, and accountability. The National Credential Verification Service component will maintain a national digital footprint of every academic award obtained in accredited Nigerian institutions. We will aggressively enforce compliance to end credential falsification and eliminate disputes over academic records.”
Alausa also encouraged institutions to prioritise locally developed technology platforms in line with the Federal Government’s policy on local content.
“I challenge myself that the only platform that we deploy from the Federal Ministry of Education will be a platform built by Nigerians in this country,” he said.
Alausa commended the Chief Executive Officer of the NERD, Engineer Tunji Ariyomo, for his efforts in promoting the preservation of educational data in Nigeria.
“What you are doing today is putting our country on the path of sustainability, 100 years from now, 1,000 years from now. Countries that preserve their data can layer on and cascade that information.
“If you do not have that as a nation, then you do not have a nation. There is no development,” the minister said.
In his remarks, the NERD CEO 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.
“What does that say about us in Nigeria and about Africa? Our knowledge is not able to climb on the shoulders of previous knowledge. So there is a gap,” he said.
Ariyomo explained that nations that preserve and validate knowledge over time are those that lead global development.
“Nations that have preserved knowledge over a long period of time, and where that knowledge can be validated, are the ones leading the world,” he said.
The CEO also expressed appreciation to the minister and the FG for accelerating the implementation of the repository, saying it would help Nigeria participate more effectively in the global knowledge economy.
He urged participants at the training programme to be patient with the implementation process and to study the NERD regulations to fully understand issues relating to 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, reports have surfaced 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.
These developments have prompted calls from policymakers, employers, and education stakeholders for stronger verification mechanisms and a more transparent national database for academic credentials.
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The issue gained heightened attention in recent years following investigations that exposed the proliferation of illegal degree mills in neighbouring countries, particularly in parts of West Africa, where some Nigerians were reported to have obtained certificates within unusually short periods. The revelations triggered a federal crackdown on fraudulent credentials and renewed efforts to strengthen oversight of tertiary institutions.