The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has announced that only graduates who present a compliance certificate from the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD) will henceforth be mobilised for national service as part of efforts to curb certificate fraud and strengthen the integrity of the mobilisation process.
The Director-General of the NYSC, Olakunle Nafiu, disclosed this during the 2026 Batch ‘B’ Pre-Mobilisation Workshop held in Abuja with the theme: “Strengthening Institutional Accountability and Compliance in the NYSC Mobilization Process for Effective Service Delivery.”
Speaking at the workshop, the NYSC boss said the enforcement of the Federal Government directive mandating Prospective Corps Members (PCMs) to present the NERD compliance certificate was aimed at ensuring that only genuine graduates are enlisted for the mandatory national service.
He urged Corps Producing Institutions (CPIs) across the country to sensitise their students adequately and ensure strict adherence to the new requirement.
According to him, the responsibility for a seamless mobilisation process should not rest solely on the NYSC, stressing the need for stronger collaboration among regulatory agencies, security institutions and relevant government ministries.
“When we work in synergy, we ease the path for our Prospective Corps Members, ensuring that their transition from student to national service is smooth, transparent, and credible,” Nafiu said.
He further called on stakeholders to confront existing challenges boldly and adopt innovative solutions capable of sustaining transparency and accountability in the mobilisation system.
“Let us build a more accountable, transparent, and efficient mobilization process for the benefit of all,” he added.
Earlier, the Director of Corps Mobilisation, Rachel Ideawor, described the pre-mobilisation workshop as an important avenue for strengthening collaboration between the NYSC, Corps Producing Institutions and other stakeholders involved in the mobilisation process.
She noted that while progress had been recorded in improving mobilisation procedures, there was still a need to enhance service delivery throughout the mobilisation value chain.
Ideawor also charged Student Affairs Officers (SAOs) to discharge their duties with integrity and professionalism by ensuring that accurate information about Prospective Corps Members is submitted to the scheme.
The workshop attracted representatives from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, National Universities Commission, National Board for Technical Education, the Federal Ministry of Education, NERD, SIDMACH Technologies, as well as 266 Student Affairs Officers from various Corps Producing Institutions nationwide.
