The Federal Government has approved sweeping reforms to the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, mobilisation process, submitting academic theses and project reports as mandatory for all graduates seeking mobilisation or exemption.
The directive, approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is anchored on provisions of the NYSC Act and Nigeria’s National Policy for the Education Repository and Databank, NERD.
It was conveyed through an enforcement circular by Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, and will take effect from October 6, 2025.
The policy requires all graduates—whether from Nigerian or foreign universities, polytechnics, or colleges of education—to provide proof of NERD compliance before they can participate in or be exempted from the one-year service scheme.
According to the NERD framework, students must deposit academic outputs such as theses, dissertations, or final-year projects in a national repository.
This provision serves as both a quality assurance check and an independent record of continuous academic enrolment, ensuring transparency and accountability in higher education.
The initiative also targets certificate racketeering and academic fraud, while preserving Nigeria’s intellectual capital.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had earlier declared the NERD policy effective in March, stressing that compliance would apply across all education institutions—public or private, civilian or military.
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“The future of Nigerian education lies in digitisation,” Alausa said, adding that the policy creates a structured pathway for collaboration among universities, polytechnics, research centres, and colleges, which have often operated in isolation.
NERD spokesperson Haula Galadima explained that each uploaded thesis will bear the names of the student, supervisor, head of department, and sponsoring institution. This visibility, she said, will raise academic standards by compelling lecturers to ensure quality supervision, knowing their names are permanently attached to student work.
Beyond storage, the policy introduces a monetisation mechanism, allowing students and supervisors to earn lifetime royalties from their academic deposits. Institutions are also encouraged to establish local repositories linked to the national databank.
President Tinubu described the move as a masterstroke in safeguarding intellectual property while enhancing Nigeria’s global academic reputation.
By integrating NYSC mobilisation with NERD, his administration hopes to restore credibility to higher education qualifications and ensure graduates contribute meaningfully to the country’s knowledge economy.
Stakeholders have welcomed the reform. Professor Haruna Abdullahi of Federal University Dutsin-Ma called the initiative “a game changer,” noting its potential to establish a credible national indexing system for publications and research.
Professor Adenike Adeniji, Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Akure, said the long-awaited reform should be implemented without delay.
Similarly, Ondo State Commissioner for Education and former university Vice Chancellor, Professor Igbekele Ajibefun, hailed the programme as “one of the most important education reforms since 1999.”
From March 30 each year, higher institutions and organisations must file annual compliance reports to NERD. The government expects this measure to boost the credibility of Nigerian certificates, reduce academic waste, and strengthen global confidence in Nigerian graduates.
By linking service mobilisation to knowledge preservation, the Tinubu administration has signaled a bold commitment to both education reform and national development.
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