The Federal Government has begun discussions with the National Youth Service Corps on the digital integration of education records to curb certificate fraud and make qualification verification more efficient.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday when the Director-General of the NYSC, Brig Gen Olakunle Nafiu, led a delegation of the Corps to the ministry in Abuja.
Alausa said the initiative was part of the Federal Government’s ongoing digital reforms aimed at improving the integrity of academic records and ensuring that qualified graduates were not disadvantaged by discrepancies in their educational information.
He said, “The digital transformation of Nigeria’s education system under President Bola Ahmed 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.”
According to him, the Nigerian Education Repository Data Bank is being used to collect and authenticate university certificates, track learners through different stages of their education and provide support to tertiary institutions.
He added that the Nigerian Education Data Infrastructure would facilitate the connection of records covering different phases of a learner’s educational journey.
The minister also revealed that the ministry had digitised its Education Support Services, including certificate verification and procedures involving foreign applicants.
Alausa said the ministry and NYSC were discussing the development of an application programming interface that would allow both institutions to exchange relevant information more quickly.
He stated, “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.”
The minister said the digital system would help address administrative and data problems that sometimes prevent qualified graduates from participating in the national service scheme and securing employment.
He identified inconsistencies in names, concerns surrounding graduates of part-time National Diploma programmes and the admission of National Certificate in Education holders into Higher National Diploma programmes among the issues requiring attention.
Alausa said the ministry would collaborate with agencies including the National Board for Technical Education, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board and National Identity Management Commission to develop sustainable solutions.
He said the government was also considering the introduction of a national Learner Identification Number and a standardised system for recording names across education and identity databases.
According to him, assigning accurate identity records to learners from the beginning of their educational journey would minimise discrepancies that could later affect their academic and professional opportunities.
The minister further disclosed that the government had intensified measures against examination malpractice, including the leakage of examination questions, while stressing the need to extend the progress to tertiary institutions.
The latest move is part of the Federal Government’s broader efforts to strengthen the verification of academic qualifications used for employment and NYSC mobilisation.
In September 2025, the government directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies to adopt the National Credential Verification Service for authenticating academic certificates presented by existing staff and new employees.
The government later moved to integrate NERD authentication into the NYSC mobilisation process, with Alausa announcing in March 2026 that prospective corps members would be required to authenticate their academic qualifications through the platform before registering for national service.
The NYSC subsequently announced in June 2026 that it would enforce the requirement as part of measures to keep fraudulent and unqualified graduates out of the scheme.
Speaking at the meeting, Nafiu commended the ministry’s digital transformation efforts and assured the government of the NYSC’s continued cooperation.
He said the Corps had been pursuing digitalisation since 2014 and had developed systems designed to provide reliable information on corps members and their deployment.
Nafiu also disclosed that the NYSC had complied with the Federal Executive Council’s directive to collaborate with the Nigerian Education Repository Data Bank.
According to him, technology has improved the integrity of NYSC operations, particularly through the introduction of QR codes.
He said the QR code system had “virtually eliminated document cloning” within the Corps.
