Nigeria’s battle against certificate fraud is entering a new phase as the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) moves to tighten its mobilization process with a fresh verification requirement for prospective corps members.
The Scheme has announced that graduates seeking mobilization for national service will now be required to present a compliance certificate issued by the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD), as part of efforts to ensure that only properly verified graduates participate in the programme.
The Director-General of NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, disclosed this during the 2026 Batch ‘B’ Pre-Mobilization Workshop held in Abuja.
The workshop, themed “Strengthening Institutional Accountability and Compliance in the NYSC Mobilization Process for Effective Service Delivery,” focused largely on growing concerns around certificate fraud, data integrity, and accountability within the mobilization system.
According to Nafiu, the enforcement of the NERD compliance certificate aligns with the Federal Government’s determination to sanitize the education and mobilization process while preventing unqualified persons from infiltrating the NYSC scheme.
He urged universities, polytechnics, and other Corps Producing Institutions (CPIs) to properly sensitize their students on the new requirement and ensure strict adherence to the directive.
The NYSC boss noted that tackling certificate fraud requires collaboration beyond the Scheme alone, calling on regulatory agencies, security institutions, and education stakeholders to strengthen enforcement and monitoring systems.
“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,” he said.
He further stressed the need for innovation and stronger institutional accountability in addressing persistent loopholes within the mobilization process.
“Let us be bold in confronting the obstacles before us and creative in fashioning solutions that will stand the test of time,” Nafiu added.
The move comes amid increasing national scrutiny over fake certificates, admission irregularities, and fraudulent mobilization practices within some tertiary institutions.
Earlier in her remarks, the Director of Corps Mobilization, Mrs. Rachel Ideawor, described the workshop as an important platform for improving coordination between NYSC and tertiary institutions across the country.
While acknowledging improvements recorded in recent years, she noted that gaps still exist within the mobilization value chain and urged Student Affairs Officers to handle students’ records with diligence and integrity.
“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 workshop attracted representatives from key education and regulatory agencies, including the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), the Federal Ministry of Education, NERD, SIDMACH Technologies, and over 260 Student Affairs Officers from institutions nationwide.
The latest policy is expected to further tighten verification procedures within Nigeria’s higher education system as authorities intensify efforts to protect the credibility of academic qualifications and national service mobilization.
