FG, NYSC Move to Digitise Graduate Records, Block Certificate Fraud
The Federal Government has stepped up plans to digitally integrate education records with the National Youth Service Corps to combat certificate racketeering, improve qualification verification and ensure that genuine graduates are not denied National service or employment opportunities because of discrepancies in their academic records.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, when the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, led a delegation of the Corps to the Ministry of Education in Abuja.
Alausa said the initiative formed part of the Federal Government’s broader digital transformation agenda under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, aimed at strengthening the credibility of Nigeria’s education system and closing loopholes that allow fraudulent certificates and inaccurate records to circulate.
According to the minister, the digital reforms would create a more reliable system for tracking learners from their entry into the education system through tertiary education and ultimately into national service and the labour market.
“The digital transformation of Nigeria’s education system under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is strengthening the integrity of academic qualifications, tackling certificate racketeering and ensuring that genuine students and graduates are not disadvantaged,” Alausa said.
He explained that the Nigerian Education Repository Data Bank was already being used to collect and verify university certificates, track learners across the education system and provide support to tertiary institutions through designated help-desk officers.
The minister also disclosed that the Nigerian Education Data Infrastructure was being developed to connect educational records across different stages of a learner’s academic journey.
He said the ministry had equally digitised its Education Support Services from end to end, covering certificate verification and processes involving foreign applicants.
Alausa added that discussions were ongoing between the Ministry of Education and the NYSC on the development of an application programming interface that would allow both institutions to exchange relevant information securely and verify qualifications much faster.
“Discussions were ongoing with the NYSC on an application programming interface that would facilitate faster verification and seamless exchange of relevant data between both institutions,” he stated.
The minister said the proposed integration was particularly important because administrative and data-related challenges had, in some cases, prevented qualified graduates from participating fully in the national service programme and accessing employment opportunities.
Among the challenges identified were discrepancies in names, problems affecting graduates of part-time National Diploma programmes and issues surrounding the admission of National Certificate in Education holders into Higher National Diploma programmes.
Alausa said the Federal Government would work with relevant agencies, including the National Board for Technical Education, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board and National Identity Management Commission, to address the problems and establish lasting solutions.
One of the proposed measures is the introduction of a national Learner Identification Number that would provide a consistent identity for students throughout their educational journey.
The Minister said the Government also planned to establish a uniform framework for recording and sequencing names across education and identity databases.
According to him, establishing accurate identity records from the beginning of a learner’s academic journey would significantly reduce discrepancies that could later prevent graduates from securing admission, obtaining certificates, participating in NYSC mobilisation or accessing employment.
The move is coming amid growing concern over the use of fake academic credentials in Nigeria.
In September 2025, the Federal Government directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies to begin using the National Credential Verification Service to authenticate academic certificates presented by existing staff and new employees. The policy was scheduled to commence in October 2025.
The government subsequently moved to incorporate the Nigerian Education Repository Data Bank authentication process into NYSC mobilisation.
In March 2026, Alausa announced that prospective corps members would be required to present NERD certificates authenticating their academic qualifications before registering for the compulsory one-year national service.
The NYSC later announced in June 2026 that it would strictly enforce the requirement as part of efforts to prevent unqualified and fraudulent graduates from gaining entry into the national service scheme.
The Federal Government’s renewed focus on credential verification has also followed several cases involving alleged academic fraud.
In November 2025, former JAMB Registrar, Prof Is-haq Oloyede, disclosed that about 15,000 candidates had allegedly forged admission letters in attempts to qualify for NYSC mobilisation.
Similarly, an investigation into the academic credentials of former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, culminated in a panel finding in March 2026 that the University of Nigeria, Nsukka degree certificate attributed to him was forged. The controversy also raised questions surrounding an NYSC certificate.
Meanwhile, the NYSC Director-General, Brig Gen Nafiu, commended the Ministry of Education for its digital reforms and assured the ministry of the Corps’ continued support.
Nafiu said the NYSC had been pursuing digital transformation since 2014, developing systems designed to provide reliable information on corps members and improve deployment processes.
He disclosed that the Corps had complied with the Federal Executive Council’s directive on collaboration with the Nigerian Education Repository Data Bank and was prepared to deepen its partnership with the ministry.
According to him, technology has significantly strengthened the integrity of NYSC operations, particularly through the introduction of QR codes on relevant documents.
Nafiu said the QR-code system had “virtually eliminated document cloning” within the NYSC.
The planned integration of education records with NYSC systems is therefore expected to create a stronger verification chain, making it increasingly difficult for individuals with fraudulent qualifications to enter the national service system while reducing the risk of genuine graduates being frustrated by inconsistent or incomplete records.
Global Mirror News gathered that the reforms, if fully implemented, could also improve the reliability of Nigeria’s academic credentials in the eyes of employers and institutions at home and abroad, while providing government agencies with a more coordinated digital framework for identifying, verifying and tracking educational qualifications.
