The Federal Government has introduced a new regulation requiring all prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members to submit their academic theses or project reports to a national repository as a prerequisite for mobilisation or exemption from the scheme, effective from October 6, 2025.
President Bola Tinubu approved the policy, invoking Sections 2(4)(4) and 16(1)(C) of the NYSC Act, according to an enforcement circular issued by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume.
The directive mandates compliance with the National Policy for the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD), which aims to digitise and preserve academic outputs from Nigerian graduates.
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Under the new rule, graduates from universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and even overseas institutions must deposit their theses, dissertations, or final year projects, and other academic, and research projects into the NERD platform.
NERD spokesperson, Haula Galadima explained that the initiative seeks to raise academic standards by encouraging better supervision from lecturers, whose names will appear alongside student works on a globally accessible platform.
“If our eminent scholars are aware that their names will appear next to those of the students they supervise on a globally available digital platform, there is the likelihood that each lecturer would up his or her standard,” Galadima said.
“Very few lecturers would want their names associated with poorly produced academic works.”
“NERD is therefore poised to help each lecturer earn his ‘earned allowances’ by providing thorough supervision.”
