President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a new
directive that makes compliance with the National Education Repository and
Databank (NERD) a compulsory requirement for all Nigerian graduates before
they can either join the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) or obtain
an exemption certificate.
The policy, announced in a circular issued on Sunday
by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George
Akume, will take effect from October 6, 2025.
According to the circular, the rule applies to all
Nigerian graduates — from universities, polytechnics, colleges of
education, and overseas institutions. However, it will not affect Corps
members already serving or those enrolled before the enforcement date.
What is NERD?
The NERD platform is a national digital
repository designed to store and manage academic works such as final-year
projects, theses, and research papers produced by Nigerian students and
researchers.
By uploading their academic work to NERD, graduates
provide proof of schooling, research, and graduation, which will serve
as part of the verification process for NYSC mobilization or exemption.
The circular described NERD as a quality assurance
mechanism that will “time-stamp scholarship, academic activities, and
footprint regardless of location.”
The NERD Policy was formally launched in March 2025
by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who emphasized that it
applies to all higher institutions, whether public or private, civilian
or military, within or outside Nigeria.
Monetisation and Rewards
Beyond academic verification, President Tinubu also
approved a monetisation and reward mechanism that allows students and
lecturers to earn lifetime revenue from works deposited in the repository.
Each institution is expected to build its own local
repository, linked to the national NERD database, thereby creating a
sustainable ecosystem for academic output and innovation.
Raising Academic Standards
According to NERD spokesperson Haula Galadima,
every uploaded project will include the names of the student, supervisor(s),
Head of Department, and the sponsoring institution.
She explained that the visibility of lecturers’ names
on a globally accessible platform will push for higher supervision
standards.
“Very few lecturers would want their names associated
with poorly produced academic works. NERD is therefore poised to strengthen
supervision quality while ensuring lecturers get due recognition for their
earned allowances,” Galadima noted.
The Federal Government has also directed data
management agencies, including the National Identity Management Commission
(NIMC), to enable inter-agency verification through API integrations.
The onboarding portal for institutions, MDAs, and
corporate organisations is already active at: https://ned.gov.ng/onboarding.
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