The federal government has announced a nationwide enforcement of the National Policy for the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD) to combat the rising abuse of academic titles and certificate racketeering.
The directive, effective October 6, mandates the verification of academic credentials for all staff and recruits across all government and higher education institutions.
The directive was issued in a service-wide circular dated August 8, 2025, from George Akume, the secretary to the government of the federation.
The circular requires all ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), as well as all higher institutions, both public and private, to use the NERD programme’s National Credential Verification Service (NCVS).
This service will ensure that every certificate, diploma, and award is verifiable and traceable.
An NCVS clearance, which includes a National Credential Number (NCN), will become a required part of employee documentation.
This new initiative, which was proposed by the National Universities Commission (NUC) in May 2023, departs from past verification methods by establishing a quality assurance system that operates outside the control of a single institution.
According to the directive, it invokes Section 10(1) of the Education (National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institutions Act (1985)) to safeguard academic integrity.
Tunji Alausa, minister of education, introduced the NCVS in March 2025, following its approval by the Federal Executive Council.
He described the service as a “systemic quality assurance check nationwide to curtail academic fraud.”
Haula Galadima, the executive director of communication and cybersecurity for the NERD programme, confirmed in an email that the program’s services are ready.
She urged all post-secondary and tertiary institutions, MDAs, and private sector organisations to register their NERD focal persons and records & digitisation officers on the NERD website.
Galadima explained that NERD is a federation-wide quality assurance tool designed to enhance the value of Nigerian education globally.
Its mandate includes administering the National Student Number (NSN), the NCN, and the National Document Number (NDN) to create a national database of resource persons, where academic honours can be instantly verified.
The NERD programme is owned by all Nigerian post-secondary schools and tertiary institutions, with a governing council that includes leaders from various regulatory and educational bodies, chaired by the minister of education.
The council includes chief executives from the NUC, NBTE, and NCCE, and representatives from committees of vice-chancellors and rectors, among others.
