From Victor Osula, Abuja
The Federal Government has directed all Ministries, Departments, Agencies (MDAs), Military and Paramilitary formations to enforce mandatory verification of all academic credentials of staff members beginning October 6, 2025.
The directive follows mounting concerns from academics about the erosion of educational integrity and the spread of fake certificates across the country.
In response, the government ordered the nationwide implementation of the National Policy for the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD).
The policy requires every ministry, department, agency, and institution—whether public, private, civilian, or military. to subject staff and prospective employees’ qualifications to strict verification checks.
At the heart of the reform is the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD), a centralised digital platform created to store, manage, preserve, and verify educational records, publications, and credentials from all tiers of the system.
Designed as a one-stop hub for academic data, NERD allows instant authentication of certificates while also serving as a permanent archive for historical academic outputs.
According to a circular dated August 8, 2025 (Ref: 58524/111C/579), signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume (CON), every ministry, department, agency, and tertiary institution as well as civilian, military, public, or private, must now adopt the National Credential Verification Service (NCVS) for authenticating the qualifications of staff and prospective employees.
Under the new system, no appointment will be confirmed without an instant NCVS clearance certifying the authenticity of academic documents. Each clearance will generate a National Credential Number (NCN) and unique security codes linked to verified documents for record-keeping.
This marks a departure from the old system of depending on issuing institutions, replacing it with a centralised quality assurance framework that functions independently of individual schools or susceptible officials.
According to NERD’s Executive Director, Ms Haula Galadima, “From October 6, fake degrees and unearned honours will no longer slip through the cracks. Every credential must be verifiable at the click of a button.”
The directive draws its legal authority from Section 10(1) of the Education (National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institutions) Act, 1985, which safeguards academic standards and integrity. Enforcement will be overseen by the newly established NERD, a body recommended by the National Universities Commission (NUC) in May 2023.
According to the circular, all ministries, departments, agencies, and higher institutions across Nigeria – whether civilian, military, private or public are directed to submit annual NERD compliance reports by 30th March each year.
According to a 2022 Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) report, Nigeria has around 720,000 federal civil servants.
The NCVS, a cornerstone of the NERD programme, was first unveiled in March 2025 by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, following a Federal Executive Council approval.
Analysts say the policy could lead to widespread job losses, especially in the public service, private schools, and tertiary institutions. Officials, however, argue that the reform is critical to restoring credibility to Nigeria’s education sector and safeguarding future generations.
