President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a major reform linking the National Policy for the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD) to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
From October 6, 2025, no Nigerian graduate, whether from a local university, polytechnic, college of education, or an overseas institution, will be mobilised for NYSC or granted exemption without proof of compliance with the NERD policy.
The directive, issued in a circular by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, requires every prospective corps member to show evidence of depositing their academic work, such as theses or project reports, in the national repository.
The policy, introduced in March 2025 by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, aims to: Curb certificate racketeering and abuse of academic honors, provide a quality assurance system by time-stamping academic work, and Safeguard Nigeria’s intellectual assets and restore credibility to higher education.
The NERD policy applies to all educational institutions, public, private, military, or civilian, including nursing schools, agricultural colleges, and research institutes.
 It also directs universities and colleges to establish local repositories while integrating with national data systems like the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) through APIs for validation.
Additionally, President Tinubu approved a monetisation and reward scheme, allowing students and lecturers to earn lifetime revenues from their deposited academic works.
The new rule does not affect corps members already serving or those mobilised before the October 6 enforcement date.
