The government also disclosed that it had taken decisive steps to curb certificate fraud, following reports that some Nigerians had obtained questionable degrees from unaccredited institutions abroad.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa, made the disclosures on Thursday during his keynote address at a national capacity-building programme for school representatives. The event was organized to support the implementation of the Nigeria Education Repository and Data Bank (NERD), a strategic initiative aimed at modernizing academic record-keeping across all tertiary institutions in the country.
The programme, themed “Strengthening Institutional Compliance and Academic Records Integrity,” sought to reinforce compliance frameworks and ensure the accuracy, security, and authenticity of academic records nationwide.
Addressing participants, Dr. Alausa emphasized the critical role 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 implementing 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 that is laying our country on the path of sustainability,” he said.
NERD, according to Dr. Alausa, is a strategic national infrastructure designed to digitize, standardize, and authenticate academic records across tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The platform administers national credential numbers, a National Credential Revocation Service, a National Student Clearinghouse, a federated repository of academic theses and abstracts, and a national academic publication and indexing database.
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.
The minister added that over 1,000 digital service centers had been established in partnership with Nigeria Digital Entrepreneurs, generating over 3,000 jobs within four months of the platform’s launch.
Dr. Alausa further disclosed that the government had acted swiftly following reports of Nigerians acquiring fake degrees from dubious institutions abroad.
“Let me emphasize 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, a whistleblower reported that some Nigerians were going to the Republic of Benin to study, obtaining PhD certificates in just six months from universities that never existed—some operating in one-room apartments. But today, I can report to you that we moved quickly. Based on the President’s directive, full investigations were conducted, fraudulent operations have been stopped, and all those who obtained illegal certificates have been removed from the civil service and public service,” he explained.
In addition, Dr. Alausa announced the establishment of the NERD Annual National Laureate Prize and Awards Programme to recognize 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 is scheduled for November.
The minister directed ICT directors and institutions nationwide to fully cooperate with the initiative, emphasizing that adherence to national standards was compulsory.
“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,” he added.
Dr. Alausa also encouraged institutions to prioritize 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.
The minister commended Engineer Tunji Ariyomo, CEO of NERD, 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,” he said.
In his remarks, Ariyomo described the initiative as a crucial step toward preserving Nigeria’s academic knowledge and history, noting that many valuable academic records and research outputs 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 the ones 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, expressing appreciation to the minister and the Federal Government for accelerating the implementation of the repository, which will help Nigeria participate more effectively in the global knowledge economy.
He urged participants at the training programme to exercise patience 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 prompted calls from policymakers, employers, and education stakeholders for stronger verification mechanisms and a more transparent national database for academic credentials. The issue gained heightened attention following investigations that exposed the proliferation of illegal degree mills in neighboring countries, particularly in parts of West Africa, where some Nigerians were reported to have obtained certificates in unusually short periods. The revelations triggered a federal crackdown on fraudulent credentials and renewed efforts to strengthen oversight of tertiary institutions.