No Thesis, No NYSC: Tinubu Approves New Rule Linking Final Projects to NYSC Eligibility

No Thesis, No NYSC: Tinubu Approves New Rule Linking Final Projects to NYSC Eligibility

Beginning October 6, all graduating students, whether educated in Nigeria or abroad, must submit their theses and final-year projects to the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD) as a mandatory condition for mobilisation into the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

This new requirement 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.

The circular stated that the “NYSC mobilisation criteria [have been adjusted] in accordance with the President’s regulation requiring proof of NERD Policy compliance for all prospective corps members, regardless of where they were educated.”

Under the NERD policy, students are required to upload their academic work, including theses and project reports, into the national database. Section 6.1.23 of the guidelines describes this process “as a quality assurance check and as a yearly independent proof of continuous academic enrolment and affiliation.”

NERD spokesperson Haula Galadima explained the rationale behind the reform: “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 noted that the repository will record comprehensive details of each submission. “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 said.

Addressing the policy’s impact on academic supervision, she added: “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 announcing the policy’s activation, Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa stated, “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 policy document also revealed that President Tinubu endorsed a monetisation framework for academic outputs.

“This ensures students and lecturers can earn lifetime revenues from their academic deposits,” the document stated.

According to the SGF’s circular, the enforcement applies to graduates from Nigerian universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and foreign institutions.

It clarified that the new rules “do 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 fraud, safeguarding Nigeria’s intellectual property, and enhancing the credibility of academic qualifications nationwide.

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