The Federal Government on Thursday reaffirmed its resolve to protect the credibility of Nigeria’s education system by strengthening the integrity of academic records and enforcing stricter compliance across tertiary institutions.

Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, disclosed this during a national capacity-building programme for school representatives organised to support the implementation of the Nigeria Education Repository and Data Bank (NERD).

The training, themed “Strengthening Institutional Compliance and Academic Records Integrity,” was designed to equip institutions with the tools needed to ensure the accuracy, security and authenticity of academic records nationwide.

Speaking at the event, the minister emphasised the critical role of reliable data in governance and policymaking.

He said: “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.”

Alausa described the NERD platform as a strategic national infrastructure designed to digitise, standardise and authenticate academic records across Nigerian tertiary institutions.

According to him, the system administers national credential numbers, a National Credential Revocation Service, a National Student Clearinghouse, and a federated repository of academic theses and abstracts, alongside a national academic publication and indexing database.

He said the initiative had already recorded significant progress within a short period.

“Within four months of enforcement, nearly 100,000 digital student submissions have been preserved, and more than 250 universities, polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education have been onboarded for real-time credential verification,” the minister said.

“More than 133,000 students and over 6,800 lecturers are now enrolled on the platform, supported by more than 655 focal persons nationwide.”

He added that the government had established over 1,000 digital service centres in partnership with Nigeria Digital Entrepreneurs, generating more than 3,000 jobs in four months.

The minister also revealed that the Federal Government had taken decisive action against the proliferation of fake academic certificates obtained from dubious foreign institutions.

“Education is a covenant between the state and its citizens,” Alausa 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. That guarantee is only as strong as the integrity of our record-keeping systems.”

He recalled that prior to the current administration, a whistleblower had reported cases of Nigerians obtaining questionable degrees from institutions in the Republic of Benin.

The minister said: “Some people were getting PhD certificates in just six months — universities that never existed, universities in one-room apartments giving certificates.

“But today I can report that we moved quickly as a government. Based on the President’s directive, we conducted full investigations. That has been put to a complete stop, and all those who obtained those illegal certificates have been removed from the civil and public service.”

The minister also commended President Bola Tinubu for implementing reforms he described as difficult but necessary.

Alausa added: “We have seen this president take difficult decisions. Our country is being transformed like it has never been before, in a way that is laying Nigeria on the path of sustainability.”

As part of efforts to encourage academic excellence, the minister announced the establishment of the NERD Annual National Laureate Prize and Awards Programme.

“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,” he said.

The awards will recognise outstanding undergraduate, master’s and doctoral research, with prizes ranging from N5 million to N20 million.

The maiden edition is scheduled to hold in November.

Alausa also directed ICT directors and tertiary institutions across the country to fully cooperate with the NERD initiative, stressing that compliance with national standards is now mandatory.

“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,” he said.

He noted that agencies including TETFund, the National Universities Commission, the National Board for Technical Education, the National Commission for Colleges of Education and the Industrial Training Fund would require institutions to comply with the platform before accessing their services.

Alausa added: “NERD is a reform instrument anchored on transparency, traceability and accountability.

“The National Credential Verification Service 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.”

The minister also urged institutions to prioritise locally developed technology platforms in line with the Federal Government’s local content policy.

“I challenge myself that the only platform deployed by the Federal Ministry of Education will be one built by Nigerians in this country,” he said.

He further commended the Chief Executive Officer of NERD, Engineer Tunji Ariyomo, for his role in advancing the preservation of Nigeria’s educational data.

The minister added: “What you are doing today is putting our country on the path of sustainability — 100 years from now, even 1,000 years from now.

“If you do not preserve your data as a nation, then you do not have a nation. There is no development.”

In his remarks, Ariyomo described the initiative as a critical step toward preserving Nigeria’s academic knowledge and research output.

He noted that valuable academic records in Nigeria had historically been lost due to poor documentation and weak preservation systems.

He said: “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.”

According to him, countries that systematically preserve and validate knowledge over long periods are the ones that dominate global development.

“Nations that have preserved knowledge over time, and where that knowledge can be validated, are the ones leading the world,” Ariyomo said.

He thanked the Federal Government and the Minister of Education for accelerating the implementation of the repository, noting that it would position Nigeria to participate more effectively in the global knowledge economy.

Ariyomo also urged participants at the training programme to familiarise themselves with the NERD regulations, particularly provisions relating to copyright, intellectual property and institutional participation.

(The Nation)

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