This directive, communicated through a circular from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, reflects President Bola Tinubu’s endorsement of the policy.

According to the circular, the NYSC mobilization criteria have been revised to align with the President’s regulation that necessitates proof of compliance with the NERD Policy for all prospective corps members, irrespective of their educational background, whether domestically or internationally trained. This sweeping reform is intended to uphold quality assurance in education, as articulated in Section 6.1.23 of the NERD guidelines, which emphasize the importance of continuous academic enrollment and affiliation verification.

NERD spokesperson Haula Galadima reiterated that the initiative aims to elevate the quality of academic outputs nationwide by digitizing student projects. The database will catalog detailed information about each submission, including the students’ names, supervisors, and the affiliated institutions. Galadima noted that this approach is poised to enhance the standards of university supervision since scholars would likely be motivated to maintain high-quality standards to avoid association with subpar submissions.

The enforcement of this policy, initially declared by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, will not retroactively affect those currently serving in the NYSC or those mobilized prior to the implementation date. The policy also features an academic output monetization mechanism, allowing both students and lecturers to receive ongoing financial benefits from their submissions.

In essence, the Federal Government aims to mitigate issues like certificate fraud, protect intellectual property, and enhance the integrity of higher education qualifications through this policy approved on the National Policy for the NERD Programme, with implications across graduates of Nigerian universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and equivalent foreign institutions.