The Federal Government has achieved a major milestone in securing Nigeria’s academic records with the Nigeria Education Repository and Data Bank (NERD), which has digitised nearly 100,000 student submissions across more than 250 tertiary institutions.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by Boriowo Folasade, Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, on 6 March 2026.
This comes amidst the government’s broader effort to combat the rising cases of certificate fraud in the country.
The Honourable Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, described NERD as critical national infrastructure for safeguarding academic credentials and strengthening education data governance.
Speaking during the National Capacity Building Programme for institutional representatives, he said the platform has enrolled over 133,000 students and 6,800 lecturers, ensuring that academic records are securely preserved and verifiable.
“In just four months, N.E.R.D has preserved nearly 100,000 student submissions, onboarded 350+ institutions, and enrolled over 133,000 students and 6,800 lecturers. Every academic record tells the story of our nation’s knowledge and innovation—and NERD ensures these ideas are securely preserved, verifiable, and accessible for future generations,” the minister stated.
Dr. Alausa highlighted that the initiative also tackles certificate fraud, citing recent investigations into fraudulent foreign credentials obtained from unaccredited institutions.
The platform supports the Federal Government’s reform agenda under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by providing reliable digital preservation and verification of academic records.
Alausa also announced the approval of the NERD Annual National Laureate Prize aimed at rewarding outstanding academic research.
According to him, the prize will recognise exceptional undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral theses with awards ranging from N5 million to N20 million.
The first set of awards is expected to begin in November 2026.
The minister added that institutions must comply with the NERD policy to access services from key government agencies including TETFund, the National Universities Commission, the National Board for Technical Education, the National Commission for Colleges of Education, and the Industrial Training Fund.
The minister again emphasized compliance with the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD) policy will now be required for participation in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme or exemption.
