President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a new directive that makes the submission of academic works such as thesis and final-year projects a mandatory requirement for graduates seeking mobilisation or exemption from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
The order, backed by Sections 2(4)(4) and 16(1)(C) of the NYSC Act, was communicated in a circular issued by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume. It enforces compliance with the National Policy for the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD) and will take effect from October 6, 2025.
According to the circular, no graduate whether from Nigerian universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, or foreign institutions will be mobilised for or exempted from NYSC without proof of depositing their final-year academic output into the NERD databank.
NERD officials explained that each academic deposit must carry the names of the student, supervisor, co-supervisor (if any), Head of Department, and the sponsoring institution. This measure, they said, is designed to check certificate racketeering, provide quality assurance, and hold both students and lecturers accountable for the works they produce.
“Very few lecturers would want their names associated with poorly supervised projects,” NERD spokesperson, Haula Galadima, told reporters. “By digitising and centralising academic works, NERD raises the bar of scholarship nationwide while giving students and lecturers a chance to earn lifetime royalties from their submissions.”
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had in March announced that the NERD policy applies to all higher institutions public or private, civilian or military within and outside Nigeria. He noted that the policy ensures every academic footprint is time-stamped and stored for transparency.
The SGF clarified that the directive will not affect current Corps members or those mobilised before the October enforcement date. However, all new graduates must comply as part of efforts to safeguard Nigeria’s intellectual assets and restore confidence in its academic system.
