FG Sets New Mandatory Requirements for NYSC Mobilisation and Exemption

• From October 6, no graduate will be mobilised or exempted from NYSC without proof of “NERD compliance.”

• The Federal Government said the policy will serve as a quality assurance check, requiring students to deposit theses and project reports as part of efforts to curb certificate fraud and boost academic standards.

From October 6, graduates will not be mobilised or exempted from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) without proof of compliance with the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD) policy, The Nation reports.

President Bola Tinubu recently invoked provisions of the NYSC Act to approve mandatory compliance with the national policy as a requirement for mobilisation into or exemption from the scheme.

The directive, issued in an enforcement circular by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, is anchored on Sections 2(4)(4) and 16(1)(C) of the Act.

According to the circular, graduates must now deposit their academic outputs, including theses and project reports. Section 6.1.23 of the policy explains this requirement “as a quality assurance check and as a yearly independent proof of continuous academic enrolment and affiliation.”

Clarifying the directive earlier issued by Education Minister Tunji Alausa, the circular states that from October 6, “no Nigerian graduate – whether from a Nigerian university, polytechnic, college of education, or an overseas institution will henceforth be mobilised for or exempted from NYSC without proof of NERD compliance.”

The approved policy also includes an academic output monetisation and reward system for students and lecturers, ensuring they can earn lifetime revenues from their academic deposits. Institutions are further encouraged to establish local repositories.

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NERD spokesperson Haula Galadima underscored the importance of the initiative, saying: “Apart from the mandate to verify for authenticity as a national flagship, the NERD digitisation programme has a clear objective – to raise the bar in the quality of academic content, output and presentation nationwide.

“One way NERD intends to accomplish this task, based on its mandate, is to strengthen the supervision processes in the nation’s higher institutions without getting involved in the processes.”

She added that since supervisors’ names will appear on a globally available platform alongside students’ work, lecturers will be motivated to maintain higher standards.

The NERD Policy, described as Nigeria’s answer to decades of intellectual waste, is designed to unlock the potential of research and academic works long left untapped in libraries.

The NYSC will now serve as a quality assurance check under this framework, ensuring all graduates contribute to the national pool of knowledge. Institutions and organisations are also required to submit annual compliance reports to NERD from March 30 each year.