FG Makes Thesis Submission a Requirement for NYSC Mobilisation
FG Makes Thesis Submission a Requirement for NYSC Mobilisation
The Federal Government has approved a new policy requiring students to upload their theses and final-year projects into the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank as a mandatory condition for mobilisation into the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Effective from October 6, no graduate—whether educated in Nigeria or abroad—will be mobilised or granted exemption from the NYSC without evidence of compliance.
The directive was outlined in a circular issued by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, who conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s approval on Saturday.
According to the circular, “the NYSC mobilisation criteria have been revised in line with the President’s directive mandating proof of compliance with the NERD Policy for all prospective corps members, irrespective of their place of study.”
The policy requires all students to deposit their academic outputs, such as theses or 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 as a yearly independent proof of continuous academic enrolment and affiliation.”
Explaining the intent of 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 added that the database will capture every detail of academic work deposited.
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 explained.
On why the move matters for university supervision, she stressed:
“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.”
In March, while declaring the NERD policy effective, Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had emphasised that submission of academic outputs would become obligatory.
“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,” Alausa said.
A copy of the approved policy also revealed that President Tinubu endorsed an academic output monetisation mechanism to reward students and lecturers.
“The policy allows students and lecturers to earn lifelong royalties from their academic submissions,” the document stated.
The SGF’s circular explained that the directive applies to graduates of Nigerian universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, as well as foreign-trained graduates.
It also clarified that the regulation “excludes current corps members and those already mobilised before the October 6 commencement date.”
According to the Federal Government, the reform is designed to combat certificate forgery, protect Nigeria’s intellectual assets, and reinforce the credibility of higher education qualifications.
