FG, NYSC move to link education records, tackle fake certificates

The Federal Government is collaborating with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to digitally link education records as part of efforts to detect fake academic credentials, accelerate certificate verification and prevent genuine graduates from being denied national service and employment opportunities.

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja when the NYSC Director-General, Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, led a delegation to the ministry.

Alausa said the initiative was part of the digital reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda aimed at strengthening the integrity of Nigeria’s education system and closing loopholes exploited by certificate fraudsters.

He said the Nigerian Education Repository Data Bank (NERD) was being deployed to collect and authenticate university certificates, track learners across different stages of education and provide support to tertiary institutions through designated help desks.

The minister added that the Nigerian Education Data Infrastructure would connect records generated throughout a learner’s academic journey, creating a more reliable and traceable academic history.

According to him, discussions are ongoing with the NYSC on an Application Programming Interface (API) that would enable faster verification and seamless exchange of relevant information between the two institutions.

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Alausa said the collaboration would help address administrative and data-related challenges that have prevented some qualified graduates from participating in the national service scheme and accessing employment.

Among the issues identified were discrepancies in names, challenges involving graduates of part-time National Diploma programmes and the admission of National Certificate in Education holders into Higher National Diploma programmes.

He said the ministry would work with the National Board for Technical Education, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, National Identity Management Commission and other agencies to develop lasting solutions.

The government is also considering a national Learner Identification Number and a uniform system for capturing and sequencing names across education and identity databases.

Alausa said the measures would establish accurate identity records from the beginning of a learner’s academic journey and reduce discrepancies that could affect certification, NYSC mobilisation and employment.

The latest initiative builds on previous government efforts to strengthen credential authentication. In 2025, Ministries, Departments and Agencies were directed to use the National Credential Verification Service to authenticate certificates presented by existing and prospective employees.

The government subsequently moved to incorporate NERD authentication into the NYSC mobilisation process.

Nafiu commended the ministry’s reforms and pledged the NYSC’s continued cooperation. He said the Corps had pursued digitalisation since 2014 and developed systems to improve the reliability of information on corps members and their deployment.

He also said the use of QR codes had significantly strengthened document security within the NYSC and “virtually eliminated document cloning” in the scheme.

The collaboration is expected to create a more integrated education and identity verification system while making it more difficult for holders of fraudulent qualifications to gain access to national service and public-sector employment.