FG Makes Thesis Submission Mandatory For NYSC Mobilisation

The Federal Government has introduced a new policy making it mandatory for all graduates to submit their theses or final-year projects to the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD) before they can be mobilised for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

Effective October 6, no graduate whether trained in Nigeria or abroad will be mobilised or granted an exemption from the NYSC without proof of compliance with this directive.

This development was announced in a circular issued by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, who conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s approval of the new rule on Saturday.

According to the circular, the NYSC mobilisation criteria have been revised to include the requirement that all prospective corps members must show evidence of compliance with the NERD policy before they can participate in the programme.

The policy mandates that every student deposit their academic outputs, such as theses or project reports, into a central national database. Section 6.1.23 of the NERD guidelines explains that this will serve “as a quality assurance check and as a yearly independent proof of continuous academic enrolment and affiliation.”

Explaining the rationale behind the reform, NERD spokesperson, Haula Galadima, said,
“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.”

She further noted that the database will contain comprehensive details of each academic work, stating,

“Each item shall feature the full name of the student, those of his supervisor, co-supervisor if any, and that of the Head of Department, as well as the sponsoring institution and department.”

Galadima highlighted that the measure would also help improve supervision quality in universities, adding,

“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. Very few lecturers would want their names associated with poorly produced academic works.”

Back in March, while declaring the NERD policy effective, Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had stressed its importance, saying,
“The approved stipulations for mandatory submission of academic outputs as provided in Sections 2.3, 4.3(1), and 7.6.11(c), among others, of the approved National Policy for the NERD Programme shall become obligatory requirements in Nigeria.”

The approved policy also includes an academic output monetisation mechanism, enabling both students and lecturers to earn lifetime revenue from their academic deposits.

The SGF clarified that the enforcement applies to all graduates of Nigerian universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and foreign institutions, but it will not affect serving corps members or those already mobilised before October 6.

According to the Federal Government, the move aims to curb certificate racketeering, protect Nigeria’s intellectual property, and enhance the credibility of higher education qualifications across the country.