By: Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja.

The National Youth Service Corps has announced that only graduates who present a compliance certificate from the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD) will henceforth be mobilized for national service, as part of efforts to eliminate certificate fraud and strengthen the integrity of the mobilization process.

Director-General of the Scheme, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, made the declaration during the 2026 Batch ‘B’ Pre-Mobilization Workshop held in Abuja. The workshop, themed “Strengthening Institutional Accountability and Compliance in the NYSC Mobilization Process for Effective Service Delivery,” brought together key stakeholders in the education and service sectors.

General Nafiu said the enforcement of the Federal Government directive requiring all Prospective Corps Members (PCMs) to obtain a NERD compliance certificate was aimed at ensuring that only genuine graduates participate in the mandatory national service scheme.

He urged Corps Producing Institutions (CPIs) to properly sensitize graduating students and strictly comply with the new requirement.

According to him, the responsibility of ensuring a credible mobilization process does not rest on the NYSC alone, stressing the need for collaboration among regulatory agencies, security institutions, and relevant ministries.

“When we work in synergy, we ease the path for our Prospective Corps Members, ensuring that their transition from student to national service is smooth, transparent, and credible,” Nafiu stated.

He further called on stakeholders to confront existing challenges with boldness and innovation in order to build a more accountable and transparent mobilization system.

Earlier, the NYSC Director of Corps Mobilization, Rachel Ideawor, described the workshop as an important platform for strengthening collaboration between the Scheme, Corps Producing Institutions, and other stakeholders.

She noted that despite improvements recorded in the mobilization process over the years, there was still a need to improve service delivery across the entire mobilization chain.
Ideawor also charged Student Affairs Officers to handle their responsibilities with diligence and integrity, ensuring that all information submitted accurately reflects the true profiles of prospective corps members.

The workshop attracted representatives from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, National Universities Commission, National Board for Technical Education, the Federal Ministry of Education, SIDMACH Technologies, and 266 Student Affairs Officers from institutions across the country.