Certificate Forgery: NYSC Rolls Out Mandatory NERD Compliance for All Prospective Corps Members

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has intensified efforts to tackle certificate forgery and ensure that only qualified graduates are mobilised for national service, with the enforcement of the Federal Government’s directive requiring all Prospective Corps Members (PCMs) to present a compliance certificate from the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD) . The Director of Information and Public Relations of the NYSC, Caroline Embu, confirmed in an official statement that the directive is aimed at curbing certificate fraud and sanitising the mobilisation process, adding that prospective corps members without a compliance certificate from NERD will not be mobilised for national service .

The Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, disclosed this during his keynote address at the 2026 Batch ‘B’ Pre-Mobilisation Workshop held in Abuja . The workshop, themed “Strengthening Institutional Accountability and Compliance in the NYSC Mobilization Process for Effective Service Delivery,” brought together key stakeholders in the education and mobilisation sectors, including representatives of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Federal Ministry of Education (FME), the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank, SIDMACH Technologies, as well as 266 Student Affairs Officers from various corps producing institutions nationwide .

According to the NYSC boss, the enforcement of the NERD compliance certificate will take effect starting from the 2026 Batch B orientation camp and is aimed at sanitising the mobilisation process and preventing fake graduates from participating in the national service scheme . He appealed to Corps Producing Institutions (CPIs) across the country to adequately sensitise their students and ensure full compliance with the directive. Nafiu stressed that the responsibility of ensuring credible mobilisation should not rest solely on the NYSC, urging regulatory agencies, security institutions, and relevant government ministries to strengthen collaboration through policy support, capacity building, and strict enforcement mechanisms .

“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. “Let us be bold in confronting the obstacles before us and creative in fashioning solutions that will stand the test of time. Let us build a more accountable, transparent, and efficient mobilisation process for the benefit of all”.

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The NERD platform is a comprehensive national digital infrastructure designed to secure, digitise and authenticate academic records across tertiary institutions in Nigeria, serving as a strategic national infrastructure aimed at protecting the integrity of Nigerian academic qualifications while positioning the education sector for the digital age . According to the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, CON, graduates whose academic records are not captured in the NERD platform will not be eligible for the NYSC . Speaking during a national capacity-building programme for school representatives organised to support the implementation of NERD, Alausa said linking access to verified academic records will serve as a strong deterrent against certificate forgery and other forms of academic fraud .

The Minister revealed that within just four months of enforcement, the system had already preserved nearly 100,000 digital student submissions and onboarded more than 250 universities, polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education for real-time credential verification . He added that over 133,000 students and 6,800 lecturers are currently registered on the platform, supported by more than 655 institutional focal persons nationwide . Through collaboration with Nigerian technology entrepreneurs, the programme has also facilitated the establishment of more than 1,000 digital service centres across the country, generating over 3,000 jobs .

Key components of the NERD system include the National Credential Number, National Credential Revocation Service, National Student Clearing House, Federated Repository of Academic Theses and Abstracts, and the National Academic Publication and Indexing Database . The Chief Executive Officer of NERD, Tunji Ariyomo, emphasised the importance of preserving academic knowledge and research outputs, noting that nations that lead globally are those that effectively document and build upon their knowledge systems . He explained that the platform documents academic projects, theses, and dissertations along with supervisors, co-supervisors, and departmental heads, strengthening accountability and improving the quality of academic supervision .

Alausa further announced the establishment of the NERD Annual National Laureate Prize and Awards Programme, aimed at promoting academic excellence by recognising outstanding undergraduate, master’s and doctoral research works with prizes ranging from ₦5 million to ₦20 million, with the maiden edition scheduled for November this year . Beyond NYSC participation, Alausa said compliance with NERD would become mandatory for institutions seeking access to services from agencies such as TETFund, the National Universities Commission, the National Board for Technical Education, the National Commission for Colleges of Education and the Industrial Training Fund, making institutional participation a requirement for accessing services from these agencies . The minister added that the government had already acted against fraudulent qualifications obtained abroad, particularly from unaccredited institutions in neighbouring countries, noting that individuals found with such certificates had been removed from public service.

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Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Education has revealed that 119 out of the 124 Federal Government-owned tertiary institutions have been integrated into the Federal Tertiary Institutions Governance Transparency Portal (FTIGTP) . The data, obtained through the Nigerian Education Data Infrastructure (NEDI) , showed that 32 million students across 221,229 schools in 21 states have so far been captured on the platform . A breakdown indicated that 57 out of 60 federal universities, 35 out of 36 polytechnics, and 27 out of 28 colleges of education have successfully uploaded and submitted their data to the transparency portal .

The FTIGTP, established to promote accountability and evidence-based decision-making in tertiary education governance, provides access to institutional data, including student enrolment, budgets, research grants, and intervention funding records . The portal, launched in 2025, was introduced as a unified platform for tracking and analysing key performance and funding metrics across federal tertiary institutions using data from the past three years, designed to promote transparency and provide interactive reports and visualisations to support evidence-based decision-making in the tertiary education system . The Federal Government had, in 2025, mandated all federal tertiary institutions to publish key institutional data on their websites as part of broader reforms in the education sector .

As part of reforms aimed at improving accountability and efficiency, the government in May 2025 fixed a minimum student enrolment benchmark of 2,000 for tertiary institutions . However, findings revealed that the benchmark was later reduced by 50 per cent following pressure from heads of institutions. Speaking at the 2025 Policy Meeting in Abuja, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, said tertiary institutions with student populations below 1,000 would no longer benefit from intervention funding from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) . Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono, confirmed that the policy was already being implemented using a “carrot-and-stick” approach to encourage compliance among institutions, explaining that allocations are now competitive, with interventions given to institutions that can demonstrate their ability to use funds effectively .

The NYSC has also announced a partnership with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to simplify biometric verification for prospective corps members nationwide. The partnership aims to enable seamless registration through technology-driven reforms designed to improve service delivery and reduce bottlenecks in the mobilisation process . Nafiu explained that the partnership is part of efforts to deepen digital reforms within the scheme, noting that registration, mobilisation, payments, and record-keeping processes have largely been digitized to enhance operational efficiency across Nigeria, with the goal of allowing corps members to register from home using NIMC biometrics .

Earlier in her remarks, the NYSC Director of Corps Mobilisation, Rachel Ideawor, described the pre-mobilisation workshop as an important platform for strengthening collaboration among the NYSC, Corps Producing Institutions, and other stakeholders . She noted that despite improvements in the mobilisation process, there was still a need to optimise service delivery across the mobilisation value chain. “I urge our Student Affairs Officers to approach their responsibilities with diligence and integrity, ensuring that the information provided accurately reflects the true profiles of Prospective Corps Members,” she said . The NYSC has emphasised that effective mobilisation requires collective responsibility from all stakeholders and is not solely the responsibility of the scheme, but depends on cooperation from all relevant agencies .

With the new enforcement taking effect from the 2026 Batch B orientation camp, all Prospective Corps Members are advised to ensure their academic records are properly uploaded and verified on the NERD platform before applying for mobilisation . Officials have clarified that the rule applies to all higher institutions, including universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, while graduates already serving in the NYSC before the policy’s enforcement are not affected. The government maintains that the move is part of broader reforms aimed at improving the credibility and transparency of Nigeria’s education system as part of the Nigerian Education Sector Renewed Initiative (NESRI) , a six-point agenda designed to transition the country from a resource-based to a knowledge-based economy .

Certificate Forgery: NYSC Rolls Out Mandatory NERD Compliance for All Prospective Corps Members

JAMB Sets Date for 2026 UTME Mop-Up, Directs Candidates to Reprint Slips

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced June 13, 2026, as the official date for the 2026 UTME mop-up examination for candidates affected by disruptions during the main examination.

The announcement was made on Monday by JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, who said the exercise is designed to accommodate candidates who were successfully verified but could not sit for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) due to technical glitches, biometric verification challenges, and other examination-related issues.

According to the board, the affected candidates were among those scheduled to sit the examination between April 16 and April 23, 2026, across accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres nationwide.

JAMB explained that the UTME mop-up examination represents the final phase of the 2026 examination process and is intended to resolve all outstanding issues involving candidates who were unable to complete the exercise despite presenting themselves for the test.

In the statement, the board said all candidates who were biometrically verified but could not write the examination for one reason or another have been captured for the mop-up exercise.

The examination body also disclosed that some candidates whose examination sessions were disrupted by technical failures at certain CBT centres have been rescheduled, while cases involving candidates flagged for examination infractions are still undergoing review.

JAMB noted that the mop-up exercise is part of its commitment to ensuring fairness and equal access for all eligible candidates participating in the 2026 admission process.

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Affected candidates have been directed to begin printing their Examination Notification Slips from June 6, 2026, through the official JAMB portal to confirm their examination venues, date and time.

The board urged candidates to visit their assigned examination centres ahead of the scheduled date to avoid confusion and ensure timely attendance on the day of the examination.

JAMB further warned that the June 13 examination will be the final opportunity for all affected candidates, stressing that no additional mop-up exercise will be conducted after that date.

The board stated that candidates are expected to make all necessary preparations ahead of the examination and strictly comply with all examination guidelines.

The announcement comes as JAMB continues efforts to improve the credibility and efficiency of Nigeria’s tertiary admission process through enhanced digital verification systems and stricter monitoring of CBT centres.

Education stakeholders have described the move as a welcome development, noting that it will provide deserving candidates another chance to participate in the 2026 UTME without being disadvantaged by circumstances beyond their control.

The 2026 UTME mop-up exam is expected to conclude JAMB’s examination cycle for the year and pave the way for the commencement of the admission process into tertiary institutions across Nigeria.

JAMB Sets Date for 2026 UTME Mop-Up, Directs Candidates to Reprint Slips

Maduka University Denies Withholding Student Transcript, Fee Hike Claims in Viral Video

Maduka University has denied allegations made in a viral social media video accusing the institution of withholding the transcript of a medical student and imposing arbitrary school fee increases on students.

The university described the claims as “baseless,” misleading and an attempt at “content creation,” insisting that due process was followed in all dealings concerning the student involved.

The controversy began after Mrs Chika Akhigbe, mother of a medical student at the institution located in Ekwegbe-Nsukka, Enugu State, posted a viral video alleging that the university refused to release her daughter’s hard-copy transcript despite payment of the required processing fee.

In the video, Akhigbe also accused the university of repeatedly increasing tuition fees for medical students, claiming the hikes had become financially unbearable for many parents.

She said the family requested the transcript because they planned to transfer their daughter to another university following the alleged fee increase.

However, in a statement signed by the Registrar of the university, J. Omeje, and made available to journalists, the institution rejected the allegations and provided its own account of the events.

According to the university, the student’s father was informed that official transcripts are only sent directly to another institution and not handed over to individuals.

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“The student’s father was duly informed by the Registrar to provide the name of the institution to which the official transcript would be sent, in line with standard university practice and established academic procedures. This address has not been provided,” the statement read.

The university maintained that it never refused to release the transcript but merely requested the destination institution’s details in accordance with standard academic procedures followed globally.

Maduka University also alleged that the student’s father admitted he could not immediately pay the official transcript processing fee and later threatened legal action and social media exposure.

According to the institution, he allegedly visited several offices, including the Admissions Office and Bursary Department, making similar threats.

Responding to claims that all school fees had already been paid, the university said the student still had an outstanding balance of N500,000 from a total tuition obligation of N3.5 million for the 2025/2026 academic session.

“It is not true that all fees have been paid. They have an outstanding of N500,000,” the statement added.

The university further claimed that no payment had been received for transcript processing as of May 21, 2026.

“As at May 21, 2026, the university is yet to receive any payment from her for the purpose of any transcript processing,” the institution stated.

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Maduka University also denied claims that the Vice Chancellor personally discussed the transcript matter with the student’s parents, clarifying that all interactions took place strictly through the Registrar’s office, which supervises transcript processing through the university records unit.

On allegations of arbitrary fee hikes, the institution insisted that reports circulating online were inaccurate.

According to the university, tuition and accommodation fees for returning medical students for the 2026/2027 academic session stand at N4,010,000 and not N4.5 million as claimed in the viral video.

The university said the new academic session had not yet commenced and argued that its fees remain among the lowest charged by private medical universities in Nigeria.

“Her claim that we increase school fees annually and therefore have become unaffordable is false. We have maintained one of the lowest fee regimes among our contemporaries,” the statement added.

The institution also dismissed claims that the student involved was the best-performing student in her class, describing the assertion as inaccurate.

Addressing security concerns raised in the video, the Registrar said the university has never recorded any security breach since its establishment.

“It is false and unsubstantiated; we have never had any security breaches since the inception of the university,” the statement said.

The university accused Mrs Akhigbe of attempting to damage the institution’s reputation through social media influence and public pressure.

“Her intention is to use her social media influence to force the university to circumvent official protocol. It is surprising that a mother would use the education of her daughter to entertain her social media followers and drive traffic to her page,” the university stated.

Maduka University reaffirmed its commitment to professionalism, due process and adherence to academic standards in all administrative matters.

The institution also urged members of the public to rely on verified information from official channels rather than social media narratives.

Maduka University was founded by renowned businessman and Peace Group Chairman, Samuel Maduka Onyishi, as part of efforts to expand access to quality higher education in Nigeria.

The controversy has continued to generate mixed reactions online, with some social media users calling for greater transparency from private universities, while others argued that transcript release procedures are standard practice across many tertiary institutions.

Education stakeholders have meanwhile stressed the need for better communication between universities, students and parents to prevent similar disputes from escalating publicly.

Maduka university Increased my daughter school fees from 3 million to 4.5 million, we can no longer afford the fees, we decided to change school for my daughter, we request for my daughter transcripts’ they said, for them to release the transcript we must pay 2 million. Now we’ve… pic.twitter.com/9fuJhEl71X

— ChukwuNonso✍️ (@Mazi_Chinonso1) May 21, 2026

Maduka University Denies Withholding Student Transcript, Fee Hike Claims in Viral Video