President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved sweeping reforms to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) mobilisation process, making compliance with the National Policy for the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD) a mandatory requirement for participation or exemption.
The directive, anchored on Sections 2(4)(4) and 16(1)(C) of the NYSC Act, was communicated in an enforcement circular issued by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume. The circular, listed under Item 2(ix), instructed that no prospective corps member would be mobilised without proof of compliance with the NERD policy, irrespective of whether they studied in Nigeria or abroad.
According to the federal government, the measure is designed to curb certificate racketeering and the abuse of academic honours. A key component of the policy requires Nigerian students to deposit their academic outputs—such as theses and project reports—into the national repository.
Section 6.1.23 of the NERD policy describes this requirement as a “quality assurance check and a yearly independent proof of continuous academic enrolment and affiliation.” It is expected to provide a tamper-proof record of scholarship and academic activity for all students.
