The Federal Government has intensified efforts to safeguard the credibility of Nigeria’s education system with the deployment of the Nigeria Education Repository and Data Bank (NERD), a comprehensive national digital platform designed to secure, digitise and authenticate academic records across tertiary institutions in the country.
The Honourable Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, CON, disclosed this during the National Capacity Building Programme for School Representatives organised to strengthen institutional compliance and enforcement of the NERD system.
Addressing participants drawn from universities, polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education across the country, the Minister described the initiative as a strategic national infrastructure aimed at protecting the integrity of Nigerian academic qualifications while positioning the education sector for the digital age.
According to him, the platform represents a major step in the Federal Government’s commitment to eliminating certificate fraud, strengthening data governance and preserving Nigeria’s academic heritage through reliable and verifiable digital records.
Dr. Alausa noted that under the leadership of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, Nigeria is undergoing a broad national transformation driven by evidence-based governance and long-term reforms designed to secure a sustainable future for coming generations.
“The Nigeria Education Repository and Data Bank is not merely a technological platform; it is a national system for preserving our academic history, protecting the credibility of our certificates and ensuring that Nigeria’s education data is owned and managed by Nigeria,” the Minister stated.
He revealed that within just four months of enforcement, the initiative has already recorded significant progress. Nearly 100,000 digital student submissions have been preserved on the platform, while more than 250 universities, polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education have been integrated for real-time credential verification.
In addition, over 133,000 students and more than 6,800 lecturers have been enrolled on the platform, supported by over 655 institutional focal officers nationwide.
Through collaboration with Nigerian technology entrepreneurs, the programme has also facilitated the establishment of more than 1,000 digital service centres across the country, generating over 3,000 jobs.
The Minister stressed that academic certificates represent a national guarantee of quality and due process, noting that the credibility of such credentials must be protected through strong and reliable record-keeping systems.
He recalled recent investigations that uncovered cases of individuals presenting fraudulent foreign certificates obtained from unaccredited institutions, some of whom had secured employment within public institutions.
“Following the directive of Mr. President, government conducted thorough investigations and took decisive action. Those involved have been removed from the public service, and measures have been put in place to prevent a recurrence,” he said.
Dr. Alausa further announced the establishment of the NERD Annual National Laureate Prize and Award Programme, aimed at promoting academic excellence by recognising outstanding undergraduate, master’s and doctoral research works with prizes ranging from ₦5 million to ₦20 million, with the maiden edition scheduled for November this year.
He also disclosed that participation in the NERD system will now become a mandatory prerequisite for participation in or exemption from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
The Minister added that compliance will be enforced through key regulatory and intervention agencies including the National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), making institutional participation a requirement for accessing services from these agencies.
Key components of the NERD system include the National Credential Number, National Credential Revocation Service, National Student Clearing House, Federated Repository of Academic Theses and Abstracts, and the National Academic Publication and Indexing Database.
Also speaking at the programme, the Chief Executive Officer of NERD, Tunji Ariyomo, emphasised the importance of preserving academic knowledge and research outputs, noting that nations that lead globally are those that effectively document and build upon their knowledge systems.
He observed that Nigeria has historically faced challenges in preserving research documentation and historical academic records, stressing that the repository will ensure that the intellectual contributions of scholars and institutions are permanently preserved and accessible.
According to him, the system strengthens accountability in academic supervision by linking students’ projects, theses and dissertations to supervisors and departmental authorities, while also addressing copyright and intellectual property concerns for students, lecturers and institutions.
In a goodwill message, the Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Idris Muhammad Bugaje, represented by Aliyu Imafidon Hassan, General Manager of the NBTE Centre of Excellence for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), commended the initiative and described the integrity and verifiability of academic records as critical in today’s globally interconnected education system.
He noted that NBTE has already introduced QR code-enabled certificates for TVET institutions to enable faster and more secure verification of academic qualifications.
The capacity-building programme brought together ICT directors, institutional representatives and education administrators from across the federation to strengthen technical knowledge and ensure effective implementation of the national education data system.
The Federal Government reaffirmed its commitment to building an education system that is transparent, digitally verifiable and globally respected, while ensuring that future generations inherit reliable records of Nigeria’s academic achievements.
Boriowo Folasade
Director, Press and Public Relations
