The Federal Government has introduced a new policy requiring graduates to submit their academic outputs—such as theses and project reports—before they can be mobilised into or exempted from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
This directive, approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, forms part of the National Policy for the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD) and takes effect from October 6, 2025.
Compliance With NERD Now Mandatory
A circular issued by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, confirmed that all prospective Corps members must show proof of compliance with NERD, regardless of the type of institution attended—federal, state, private, military, civilian, or international.
- The policy applies only to graduates seeking NYSC mobilisation or exemption from October 6, 2025.
- Those already serving or mobilised before this date will not be affected.
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Purpose of the Policy
According to the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, the measure is designed to:
- Combat certificate racketeering.
- Improve quality assurance in academic submissions.
- Provide a verifiable national database of scholarly work.
Section 6.1.23 of the NERD policy also mandates time-stamping of submissions as proof of continuous enrollment and institutional affiliation.
Raising Standards and Accountability
The NERD framework introduces an academic output monetisation and reward system, allowing both students and supervisors to earn revenue from their work.
Universities and other higher institutions must also:
- Maintain local repositories linked to the national database.
- Foster inter-institutional collaboration by sharing verified research outputs.
NERD spokesperson Haula Galadima stressed that the platform will encourage higher standards:
“If scholars know their names will appear alongside students they supervise on a global digital platform, they will be more committed to thorough supervision. Few would want their names tied to substandard work.”
Transparency and Verification
Every submission must include the names of the student, supervisor, co-supervisor (if any), head of department, and sponsoring institution.
Additionally, key data agencies such as the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) will support the process by validating submissions through inter-agency data exchange.
📌 Summary: From October 6, 2025, no graduate will be mobilised for NYSC—or granted exemption—without first submitting their academic work into the NERD repository, marking a major step toward academic accountability and national educational reform.
Credit: Allschool, Allcbt
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