The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General OO Nafiu, has called for stronger ethical discipline and digital integrity among institutions and officials handling the mobilisation of graduates for national service, stressed that the credibility of Nigeria’s mobilisation process depend not only on technology but also on human character.
He made the call on Monday, November 3, 2025, at the 2025 Batch ‘C’ Pre-Mobilisation Workshop held at the National Judicial Institute, Abuja, with the theme: “Enhancing Data Integrity for Credible Mobilisation for National Service in Contemporary Times.”
General Nafiu described mobilisation as “the gateway to the service year and a vital link in preparing young Nigerian graduates for national integration and development,” added that NYSC’s reputation for transparency in mobilisation must be preserved as the process becomes increasingly digitised.
“For about 11 years now, we have built a digital databank, and our mobilisation process is today almost fully digitised. However, reliable data is only as credible as the people managing it. Data integrity begins with human integrity,” he said.
He identified key challenges confronting the scheme, including data manipulation, identity fraud, inconsistent submissions from corps-producing institutions, weak inter-agency data linkages, and low digital literacy among some mobilisation officers.
While acknowledging successful collaboration with JAMB, Nafiu said NYSC is working to deepen data linkages with the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to eliminate record mismatches and ensure credible verification.
“Every Nigerian graduate who wears the NYSC uniform must be genuinely qualified and properly verified. The strength of our mobilisation system will depend not only on technology but also on the ethics, discipline, and professionalism of those who handle it,” he emphasised.
General Nafiu urged participants to “see data integrity not just as a compliance issue but as a collective responsibility to the nation,” adding that the NYSC will continue to innovate and uphold the ideals of discipline, transparency, and national unity.
In her welcome address, Mrs. Rachel Idaewor, Director of Corps Mobilisation, said the pre-mobilisation workshop remain “a critical platform for collaboration among the NYSC, corps-producing institutions, and regulatory agencies.” She noted that data fraud continues to pose a serious threat to the credibility of the process.
“The fraudulent uploading of unqualified persons negatively affects the credibility of our mobilisation process. Accurate and reliable data forms the backbone of any successful mobilisation strategy,” she stated, urging participants to align their operations with national and international best practices.
Delivering a goodwill message, JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, underscored that “data integrity primarily depend on human character, not just on digital firewalls.” He warned that corruption and weak institutional ethics undermine every technical safeguard.
Using a vivid analogy, Oloyede said:
“You can build the tallest wall to secure a city, but if the gatekeeper is compromised, the enemy will walk in.”
The JAMB boss lamented frequent redeployment of student affairs officers, which disrupt institutional knowledge and created loopholes exploited by fraudsters. He cited cases of certificate manipulation and impersonation, added that JAMB now obtain candidate biodata directly from verified national databases to prevent forgery.
He also announced a new Federal Ministry of Education directive mandating that all certificates carry a photograph, date of birth, and unique identifier to combat document fraud.
Similarly, Engr. Adetunji Adeyemo, Chairman of the National Education Repository and Database (NERD), established in 2025, said the body was created to unify education data management in Nigeria, bridge historical data gaps, and protect indigenous knowledge from loss or distortion.
“We cannot continue relying on foreign archives for our own educational history. A unified national education data platform will safeguard institutional memory and promote national integrity,” Adeyemo said.
The workshop brought together NYSC Directors, ICT experts, and representatives from JAMB, NUC, NBTE, among others, to design a framework for harmonising data across institutions and tightening security around mobilisation processes.
