The Federal Government has intensified efforts to curb certificate fraud by strengthening the verification of academic records across tertiary institutions as part of broader reforms aimed at protecting the integrity and credibility of Nigeria’s education system.
The move follows reports that some Nigerians obtained questionable academic degrees from unaccredited institutions abroad, prompting the government to reinforce oversight and compliance mechanisms across the education sector.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa, disclosed this on Thursday while delivering a keynote address at a national capacity-building programme for school representatives. The programme, organised to support the implementation of the Nigeria Education Repository and Data Bank (NERD), was themed “Strengthening Institutional Compliance and Academic Records Integrity.”
According to the minister, the initiative is designed to reinforce compliance frameworks while ensuring the accuracy, security and authenticity of academic records across tertiary institutions nationwide.
Addressing participants, Alausa emphasised the importance of reliable data for effective governance and policymaking.
He noted that data remains the foundation for understanding challenges, designing effective policies and evaluating national progress. Without reliable data, he said, governments would be unable to make informed decisions.
Alausa explained that the Nigeria Education Repository and Data Bank is a strategic national infrastructure created to digitise, standardise and authenticate academic records across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
He said the platform would administer national credential numbers, a National Credential Revocation Service, a National Student Clearinghouse and a federated repository for academic theses and abstracts. It will also host a national academic publication and indexing database.
Providing updates on the platform’s progress, the minister revealed that within four months of enforcement, the system had already preserved nearly 100,000 digital student submissions and onboarded more than 250 universities, polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education for real-time credential verification.
He added that over 133,000 students and more than 6,800 lecturers are now enrolled on the platform, supported by more than 655 focal persons across the country.
According to him, the initiative has also led to the establishment of more than 1,000 digital service centres through partnerships with Nigeria Digital Entrepreneurs, creating over 3,000 jobs within four months.
The minister further disclosed that the government acted swiftly after receiving reports that some Nigerians had obtained fake degrees from questionable institutions abroad.
He explained that investigations were launched following a whistleblower report about Nigerians travelling to neighbouring countries, including the Republic of Benin, to acquire academic certificates from institutions that either did not exist or operated under questionable conditions.
Some individuals, he said, reportedly obtained doctoral degrees within extremely short periods from universities operating in small apartment spaces.
Alausa stated that the government, acting on the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, carried out a full investigation into the matter and halted the practice.
According to him, individuals who obtained such illegal certificates and used them to secure positions within the public service have been removed from government employment.
He stressed that education represents a covenant between the government and its citizens, explaining that every certificate issued serves as a national guarantee that due process has been followed and academic standards have been maintained.
The minister also announced the establishment of the NERD Annual National Laureate Prize and Awards Programme to recognise and reward outstanding academic research.
Under the initiative, exceptional undergraduate, master’s and doctoral theses will receive prizes ranging from N5 million to N20 million. The maiden edition of the awards is scheduled to take place in November.
Alausa directed ICT directors and tertiary institutions nationwide to cooperate fully with the NERD initiative, emphasising that compliance with national academic record standards is now mandatory.
He clarified that while NERD compliance is required for participation in or exemption from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), enforcement goes far beyond the scheme.
According to him, institutions must comply with the NERD framework to access services from agencies such as TETFund, the National Universities Commission, the National Board for Technical Education, the National Commission for Colleges of Education and the Industrial Training Fund.
He explained that the National Credential Verification Service component of the platform will maintain a national digital record of all academic qualifications obtained from accredited Nigerian institutions.
The government, he added, will enforce strict compliance to eliminate credential falsification and prevent disputes regarding academic records.
Alausa also encouraged institutions to prioritise locally developed technology platforms in line with the Federal Government’s local content policy.
He noted that the Ministry of Education intends to deploy technology platforms developed by Nigerian professionals in order to support local innovation and strengthen national capacity.
The minister commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for implementing what he described as difficult but necessary reforms aimed at transforming the country.
He said the administration’s policies are laying the foundation for long-term national sustainability and institutional development.
Alausa also praised the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Education Repository and Data Bank, Tunji Ariyomo, for his role in promoting the preservation and digitisation of educational data in Nigeria.
According to the minister, preserving national academic records will help secure Nigeria’s intellectual heritage and support knowledge development for generations to come.
In his remarks, Ariyomo described the initiative as a major step toward safeguarding Nigeria’s academic knowledge and research outputs.
He noted that weak documentation and poor preservation systems in the past had resulted in the loss of many valuable academic records and research contributions.
According to him, countries that preserve and validate knowledge over long periods are often those that lead global development and innovation.
Ariyomo also thanked the Federal Government for accelerating the implementation of the repository, noting that it will strengthen Nigeria’s participation in the global knowledge economy.
He encouraged participants in the training programme to familiarise themselves with the NERD regulations, particularly those relating to copyright, intellectual property and institutional participation.
Nigeria has long faced challenges related to certificate fraud and weak academic record systems within its education sector, raising concerns about the credibility of qualifications issued locally and internationally.
Over the years, several cases have emerged involving individuals presenting forged or unverifiable academic certificates to secure employment, particularly in the public sector.
The issue gained renewed attention following investigations that uncovered illegal degree mills operating in parts of West Africa, where some Nigerians reportedly obtained academic certificates within unusually short periods.
These revelations triggered a federal crackdown on fraudulent credentials and strengthened calls for the establishment of a transparent national database for academic verification.
