The federal government has directed the full enforcement of the National Policy for Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD) on academic credential verification from October 6, 2025.
The move follows widespread concerns over certificate racketeering, academic fraud, and abuse of honorary titles across the country.
In a service-wide circular issued by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), as well as all higher institutions — civilian, military, private and public — are required to begin intensive verification of the academic records of all staff and prospective employees.
The process will be carried out through the National Credential Verification Service (NCVS), a core component of the NERD programme. Going forward, no appointment will be confirmed without an NCVS clearance, which assigns each credential a unique National Credential Number (NCN) and security codes for authentication.
According to the government, the reform will ensure that every certificate, diploma, or academic award issued in Nigeria is traceable, verifiable, and validatable at the click of a button. It also removes reliance on individual institutions for verification, introducing a centralised quality assurance scheme.
The NERD initiative, proposed by the National Universities Commission (NUC) in May 2023 and launched by Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa in March 2025, is anchored on the NCVS system designed to curb fake degrees, qualification fraud, and unearned honours from unaccredited institutions.
Executive Director of Communication and Cybersecurity for the NERD programme, Ms. Haula Galadima, confirmed that the system is now fully operational. She urged all tertiary institutions, MDAs, and private sector organisations to enrol their NERD focal persons and records officers on the agency’s portal.
“NERD is a quality assurance tool and Nigeria’s standard for higher education digitisation. Its aim is to protect national security, preserve educational integrity, and enhance the global competitiveness of Nigerian education,” Galadima stated.
She added that NERD also manages the National Student Number (NSN), National Credential Number (NCN), and National Document Number (NDN), ensuring that every genuine academic record or honour is instantly verifiable.
The NERD Governing Council, chaired by the Minister of Education, comprises stakeholders from higher education and related agencies. Compliance with the policy will also become a prerequisite for accessing government privileges and services, with inter-agency data exchange built into the framework.
