Tinubu Makes NERD Compliance Mandatory for NYSC Mobilisation

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has introduced a new policy that will reshape the process of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) mobilisation in Nigeria. Starting from October 6, 2025, graduates will no longer be allowed to join NYSC or receive exemption letters unless they show proof of compliance with the National Education Repository and Databank (NERD).

This groundbreaking rule, announced in a circular by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, applies to all graduates from Nigerian universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and overseas institutions.

From the enforcement date, all prospective corps members must upload their academic works—such as final-year projects, theses, or dissertations—to the NERD platform before they can be mobilised for NYSC. This policy also affects those applying for NYSC exemption letters.

According to the circular, the policy is aimed at providing an independent proof of continuous academic enrolment and creating a quality assurance mechanism that time-stamps students’ academic footprints across Nigeria and abroad.

The NERD compliance requirement applies to:

• Graduates from Nigerian universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
• Graduates of overseas institutions who intend to participate in NYSC.
• Graduates applying for NYSC exemption certificates.

However, this new rule will not affect current corps members or those who enrolled before the official enforcement date.

The NERD platform is a digital repository developed by the Federal Government of Nigeria to store, manage, and verify academic works produced by students and researchers nationwide. The initiative was formally declared effective in March 2025 by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa.

NERD serves as a national academic archive where final-year projects, theses, and other scholarly works are deposited. Its goal is to improve transparency, raise academic standards, and curb the submission of fraudulent academic credentials during NYSC mobilisation.

The approved stipulations for mandatory submission of academic outputs are embedded in the National Policy for the NERD Programme, particularly Sections 2.3, 4.3(1), and 7.6.11(c). These provisions make it compulsory for all higher education institutions to integrate with the NERD database.

The policy applies to all educational institutions regardless of their ownership—public, private, military, or civilian—and covers schools of nursing, agriculture, specialised research centres, and institutes.

The new NERD compliance requirement offers several benefits:

• Quality Assurance: By linking students’ work with supervisors and departments, the policy raises the quality of academic outputs.
• Transparency: It helps verify the authenticity of academic qualifications before NYSC mobilisation.
• Monetisation: Students and lecturers can earn lifetime revenue from academic works deposited in the repository.
• National Integration: Institutions are encouraged to create local repositories linked to the national database.

In addition to raising academic standards, President Tinubu approved a monetisation and reward mechanism proposed by Dr. Alausa. This system allows students and lecturers to earn lifetime revenue from their academic works deposited in the NERD platform.

This initiative aims to encourage higher institutions to create local repositories while linking them to the national database. It also incentivises quality academic research by rewarding those who contribute to the repository.

The circular directed key data management bodies, including the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), to provide inter-agency data exchange support through Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). This move will streamline onboarding and verification of student and institutional data.

According to Haula Galadima, the NERD spokesperson, every student submission will include the names of the student, supervisor, co-supervisor, Head of Department, and sponsoring institution. This transparent approach will ensure accountability among students and lecturers.

Galadima emphasised that lecturers are less likely to endorse poorly produced academic works if their names are associated with them on a globally accessible platform. This will, in turn, improve the supervision process and raise the bar for academic excellence across Nigerian institutions.

The onboarding process for Ministries, Departments, Agencies (MDAs), higher institutions, and corporate organisations is available at https://ned.gov.ng/onboarding. Institutions are encouraged to take advantage of this process to ensure seamless integration with the NERD platform.

The decision by President Tinubu to make NERD compliance mandatory for NYSC mobilisation marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s educational and administrative landscape. By linking NYSC enrolment to the submission of academic works, the government aims to promote transparency, improve academic standards, and reward intellectual contributions.

For graduates and institutions alike, the message is clear: embrace the NERD platform as a vital tool for accountability, innovation, and academic integrity. With this policy, the NYSC process is set to become more credible, while also creating a sustainable way for students and lecturers to earn revenue from their scholarly works.