FG Makes Thesis Submission Mandatory For NYSC Mobilisation

By Charles Maduka

The Federal Government has approved a new policy making it compulsory for students to submit their theses and final year projects into the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD) before they can be mobilised for the National Youth Service Corps.

Effective from October 6, no graduate of Nigerian or foreign institutions will be mobilised for or exempted from NYSC without proof of compliance with the directive.

This was contained in a circular issued by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, who conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s approval. The circular stated that NYSC mobilisation criteria had been adjusted in line with the President’s regulation requiring evidence of NERD policy compliance for all prospective corps members.

The policy mandates students to upload their academic outputs, including theses and project reports, into the national database. According to Section 6.1.23 of the NERD guidelines, the measure serves as a quality assurance check and provides independent proof of continuous academic enrolment and affiliation.

NERD spokesperson Haula Galadima explained that the database will capture details such as the student’s full name, supervisor, co-supervisor, Head of Department, and the sponsoring institution and department. She added that making academic works publicly available will push supervisors to maintain higher standards, as few would want their names tied to substandard research.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had earlier announced that submission of academic outputs would become obligatory under the NERD programme. A copy of the approved policy also showed that President Tinubu endorsed an academic output monetisation mechanism to reward students and lecturers with lifetime earnings from their deposited works.

According to the SGF’s circular, the enforcement applies to all graduates from Nigerian universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and foreign institutions but does not affect serving corps members or those mobilised before the October 6 enforcement date.

The Federal Government said the reform is aimed at curbing certificate racketeering, securing Nigeria’s intellectual property, and strengthening the credibility of higher education qualifications.