FG, NYSC MOVE TO DIGITISE GRADUATE VERIFICATION AND TACKLE CERTIFICATE FRAUD

The Federal Government and the National Youth Service Corps are strengthening collaboration to digitise and harmonise graduate records as part of efforts to tackle certificate fraud and make verification of academic qualifications more efficient. The initiative is expected to improve the authentication of graduates' credentials and reduce cases where genuine graduates face difficulties because of inconsistencies in educational records.

Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, disclosed the development during a meeting with the NYSC Director-General, Brig.-Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, in Abuja. Alausa said the reforms were part of the Federal Government's wider digital transformation of the education sector, aimed at closing gaps in the management, verification and exchange of academic records while strengthening the credibility of Nigerian qualifications.

A key component of the initiative is the Nigeria Education Repository Data Bank, which is being used to verify university certificates and maintain learners' academic records. The government is also developing the Nigerian Education Data Infrastructure to connect academic information across the different stages of a student's educational journey. Discussions are further underway on an application programming interface that would enable faster and more seamless exchange of information between the Education Ministry and NYSC.

The reforms are also expected to address problems such as discrepancies in graduates' names and other inconsistencies that can affect mobilisation for national service. The government plans to work with agencies including JAMB, NIMC and the National Board for Technical Education to establish a national Learner Identification Number and harmonise identity records across education and government databases. NYSC has already begun working with NERD in line with Federal Executive Council directives and expressed readiness to deepen the partnership.

The development comes as NYSC continues to strengthen physical and digital checks on credentials. For the 2026 Batch C Stream I exercise, foreign-trained graduates whose documents require verification have been directed to appear physically at designated centres, with only those whose credentials are verified and cleared eligible for deployment, exemption or exclusion from service. The broader digital initiative is therefore expected to make future verification faster, reduce opportunities for certificate racketeering and protect genuine graduates from unnecessary administrative delays.