President Bola Tinubu has invoked provisions in Sections 2(4)(4) and 16(1)(C) of the NYSC Act, and approved a far-reaching reform which makes compliance with the National Policy for the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank- NERD, a mandatory requirement for mobilisation into or exemption from the National Youth Service Corps- NYSC.
The compliance directive was contained in an enforcement circular issued by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, who conveyed the approval for the adjustment of “NYSC mobilisation criteria in accordance with the President’s regulation requiring proof of NERD Policy compliance for all prospective Corps members, regardless of where they were educated.
Recall that in March 2025, while issuing the declaration of effectiveness for NERD, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, stated that “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 circular issued by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, has now clarified that, effective 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 federal government’s circular to Ministries, Departments, Agencies and higher institutions of learning (public and private, civilian and military) directs full enforcement of the NERD Policy.