The Federal Government is developing a national digital platform that will store, verify, and authenticate academic records across Nigeria’s education system in a major move aimed at stopping fake degrees and strengthening trust in certificates issued by Nigerian institutions.
The platform, known as the Nigeria Education Repository and Data Bank (NERD), is designed to create a centralized digital infrastructure where academic records from universities, polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of education can be securely stored and verified in real time.
Officials say the system is part of a broader reform agenda to modernize the management of academic credentials, improve data integrity, and ensure that qualifications obtained in Nigeria can be easily verified by employers, institutions, and government agencies.
Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa, said the initiative reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to building a reliable national system for academic record management.
According to him, data-driven governance is central to the government’s approach to reforming critical sectors, including education.
“I have this quote right in my office that I read every day. Data is the lifeblood of effective governance,” Alausa said during a national capacity-building programme organised to support the implementation of the new system.
“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.”
He stressed that without reliable data systems, governments cannot effectively plan or implement policies.
“Without data, we are flying blind. And that is not what this government is about,” he said.
The NERD platform is expected to digitise and standardise academic credentials nationwide, creating a unified system that links institutions and government agencies involved in education regulation and credential verification.
Under the system, each academic qualification obtained from an accredited Nigerian institution will have a verifiable digital record that can be accessed through authorised channels.
The platform will also assign a National Credential Number to academic awards issued in Nigeria, creating a unique digital footprint for each certificate.
Officials say this will make it significantly harder for individuals to present forged or unverifiable qualifications.
The system will also host a National Credential Revocation Service, which will allow authorities to withdraw or invalidate academic credentials that are found to have been obtained fraudulently.
In addition, the platform will include a National Student Clearinghouse, designed to facilitate verification of student records and academic history across institutions.
Another component of the repository will be a federated national database of academic theses and abstracts, enabling universities and research institutions to digitally preserve and access scholarly work produced in Nigeria.
The system will also support a national academic publication and indexing database, helping to document research output from Nigerian institutions.
According to the government, the goal is to create a comprehensive digital archive of academic knowledge produced in Nigeria while ensuring that academic qualifications remain credible and verifiable.
Alausa described the platform as strategic national infrastructure that will strengthen transparency and accountability within the education system.
He explained that when an academic certificate is issued, it represents more than just a document.
“Education is a covenant between the State and its citizens,” the minister said.
“When a certificate is issued, it is not merely paper; it is a national guarantee that due process was followed and standards were upheld.”
He noted that the strength of that guarantee depends heavily on the integrity of academic record systems.
“That guarantee is only as strong as the integrity of our record-keeping systems,” he said.
The move comes after years of concerns about certificate fraud and the proliferation of questionable degrees obtained from unaccredited institutions both within and outside Nigeria.
Investigations in recent years revealed that some Nigerians had obtained degrees from institutions operating without accreditation in neighbouring countries, particularly in parts of West Africa.
Some of those institutions reportedly issued academic certificates within extremely short periods, raising questions about the legitimacy of the qualifications.
Alausa said the Federal Government had already taken decisive action against such practices.
“Before President Tinubu came into government, there was a whistleblower who reported about Nigerians going to the Republic of Benin to study,” he said.
“Some people were getting PhD certificates in just six months, universities that never existed, universities in one-room apartments, giving certificates.”
According to him, the government conducted investigations following the reports and took corrective measures.
“But today, I can report to you that we moved quickly as a government. Based on the President’s directive, we conducted full investigations,” he said.
“That has been put to a complete stop. And all of those people that got those illegal certificates have all been thrown out of our civil service, public service.”
Officials say the new digital repository is intended to prevent similar incidents in the future by ensuring that academic credentials can be verified quickly and accurately.
The system will enable employers, institutions, and regulatory bodies to confirm the authenticity of certificates issued by Nigerian schools.
Beyond verification, the platform is also expected to improve documentation and preservation of Nigeria’s academic output.
Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Education Repository and Data Bank, Engineer Tunji Ariyomo, said the country has historically struggled with weak systems for preserving academic knowledge.
He noted that many research outputs and academic records have been lost over time because they were not properly documented or archived.
“What does that say about us in Nigeria and about Africa?” Ariyomo asked.
“Our knowledge is not able to climb on the shoulders of previous knowledge. So there is a gap.”
According to him, countries 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.
The NERD platform is therefore designed not only as a verification system but also as a long-term knowledge repository.
Government officials believe that preserving academic records digitally will help Nigerian researchers build on existing work and strengthen the country’s participation in the global knowledge economy.
Within the first four months of enforcement, the platform has already recorded significant progress.
According to the Ministry of Education, nearly 100,000 digital student submissions have been preserved on the system.
More than 250 tertiary institutions, including universities, polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of education, have been onboarded to enable real-time credential verification.
The system currently has over 133,000 students and more than 6,800 lecturers enrolled.
To support the operation of the repository nationwide, more than 655 focal persons have been designated across institutions.
The rollout has also generated new employment opportunities.
Officials say over 1,000 digital service centres have been established in partnership with Nigeria Digital Entrepreneurs, creating more than 3,000 jobs within four months.
The government says the repository will also play an important role in improving coordination among regulatory agencies within the education sector.
Institutions and agencies such as the National Universities Commission, the National Board for Technical Education, the National Commission for Colleges of Education, the Industrial Training Fund, and TETFund will rely on the system for verification and compliance monitoring.
The repository will also be integrated into processes related to the National Youth Service Corps.
According to the minister, compliance with the NERD system will become a prerequisite for participation in or exemption from the NYSC scheme.
“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,” Alausa said.
He explained that institutions must comply with the digital repository system to access services provided by major education agencies.
“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,” he said.
Officials say this framework is intended to ensure widespread adoption of the system across the entire tertiary education sector.
The government also plans to encourage academic excellence through the repository by introducing a new national award scheme.
The NERD Annual National Laureate Prize and Awards Programme will recognise outstanding academic research produced by Nigerian students.
The awards will cover undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral theses, with prizes ranging from ₦5 million to ₦20 million.
Alausa said the inaugural edition of the awards is expected to take place in November.
The initiative is also aligned with the government’s broader policy of promoting locally developed technology solutions.
Alausa said the Federal Ministry of Education intends to prioritise digital platforms built by Nigerian developers.
“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.
He praised the NERD team for accelerating the development of the repository and emphasized the long-term significance of preserving national data.
“What you are doing today is putting our country on the path of sustainability, 100 years from now, 1,000 years from now,” he said.
“Countries that preserve their data can layer on and cascade that information.”
He added that nations that fail to preserve their knowledge infrastructure struggle to achieve lasting development.
“If you do not have that as a nation, then you do not have a nation. There is no development,” the minister said.
