New Policy Targets Fake Degrees, Diploma Mills; Every Academic Credential To Carry National Security Code
In a sweeping reform set to shake Nigeria’s education and employment landscape, the Federal Government has fixed October 6, 2025, as the take-off date for a mandatory nationwide verification of academic certificates — a move aimed at ending decades of certificate forgery, racketeering, and unearned honours.
The directive, issued in a service-wide circular signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, mandates all Ministries, Departments, Agencies (MDAs), public and private tertiary institutions, and employers of labour to comply without exception.
At the heart of this reform is the National Credential Verification Service (NCVS), operating under the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD), which will serve as the central hub for authenticating all academic documents.
Under the system, every certificate, diploma, and degree will be assigned a National Credential Number (NCN) — a unique identifier with built-in security codes, making it impossible for fake credentials to pass as genuine.
> “By October 6, fake degrees and unearned honours will no longer slip through the cracks. Every credential presented in Nigeria must be verifiable at the click of a button,” declared Ms. Haula Galadima, Executive Director of Communication and Cybersecurity at NERD, in a Wednesday statement.
A System Built to Restore Confidence
The NCVS, approved by the Federal Executive Council and launched in March 2025 by Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa, is legally grounded in Section 10(1) of the Education (National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institutions) Act 1985.
Government officials describe the initiative as “a decisive move to end fake degrees, phoney honours, and diploma mills”, which have long undermined Nigeria’s academic credibility at home and abroad.
Every new hire in public and private institutions will now require NCVS clearance before appointment confirmations, while existing staff will undergo retroactive verification.
NERD will also issue National Student Numbers (NSN) and National Document Numbers (NDN), feeding into a National Database of Resource Persons, ensuring certificates are digitally traceable, centrally stored, and globally verifiable.
The NERD Governing Council, chaired by the Minister of Education, includes the National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), the Committees of Vice Chancellors, Rectors, and Provosts, the National Library, and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission.
According to Galadima, the strength of the policy lies in linking decentralised institutional databases into a federated national system — while still preserving institutional autonomy.
> “Fake certificates thrived for years because of weak verification processes, often compromised by corruption and inefficiency. This reform is a game-changer. It is jointly owned by all tertiary institutions and regulators and provides a one-stop platform for authentic, digitally traceable credentials,” Galadima stressed.
With the October 6 enforcement date fast approaching, MDAs, tertiary institutions, and private employers have been directed to onboard their NERD focal officers and records managers immediately through the national portal.
Stakeholders say the reform will not only strengthen national security and institutional integrity but also enhance the global competitiveness of Nigeria’s graduates, many of whom face skepticism abroad over certificate fraud scandals.
As the deadline looms, one message rings loud and clear:
In the new Nigeria, every certificate must tell the truth — or be exposed.
PIONEER NEWS 