The Federal Government has launched a new digital platform aimed at protecting the credibility of Nigeria’s education system and tackling certificate fraud across tertiary institutions.
In a statement issued by the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo, the Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, announced the deployment of the Nigeria Education Repository and Data Bank (NERD) during a National Capacity Building Programme for institutional representatives. He described the platform as critical national infrastructure designed to secure, digitise and authenticate academic records nationwide.
According to the minister, the NERD platform is part of the Federal Government’s reform agenda under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, aimed at strengthening the governance and integrity of education data in Nigeria.
Dr. Alausa said the system has already recorded significant progress within four months of implementation. Nearly 100,000 digital student submissions have been preserved on the platform, while more than 250 tertiary institutions have been integrated into the system.
He added that over 133,000 students and about 6,800 lecturers have been enrolled so far, demonstrating growing adoption of the initiative across the country’s higher education sector.
The minister explained that the platform would play a major role in combating certificate fraud, noting that recent investigations uncovered cases involving fraudulent foreign qualifications obtained from unaccredited institutions.
As part of efforts to enforce compliance, the ministry announced that participation in the NERD platform will become a prerequisite for participation in, or exemption from, the National Youth Service Corps scheme.
The Federal Government reaffirmed its commitment to building a transparent, digitally verifiable and globally respected education system through the adoption of modern data management technologies.
