The Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered) has applauded the Federal Government’s decision to commence mandatory nationwide verification of academic credentials as part of efforts to curb certificate racketeering in public and private institutions, and restore integrity to Nigeria’s education system.

According to a statement issued by the President and Chairman of the Council of the Institute, Commodore Abimbola Ayuba (rtd.), which hailed the latest reform by Federal Government, the Institute endorses the enforcement which will be implemented through the National Credential Verification Service (NCVS) operating under the aegis of Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD). “This move, which mandates that both existing and prospective staff in public and private institutions must obtain National Credential Verification Service before their appointments can be confirmed and each verified credential will be assigned a National Credential Number with security codes to ensure traceability and authenticity”, Ayuba added.

The President further revealed that under the latest initiative by the Federal Government, which is a decisive move to end fake degrees, phoney honours and diploma mills undermining Nigeria’s education credibility, the National Credential Verification Service (NCVS) was launched in March 2025 by Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, following Federal Executive Council’s approval. The certificate verification exercise, which kicks off on October 6, will ensure that fake degrees and unearned honours will no longer slip through the cracks by ensuring that every credential presented in Nigeria is verifiable at the click of a button.

Ayuba, who added that fake certificates had thrived largely because of weak processes that were sometimes compromised, revealed that “the strength of the new policy lies in its ability to link decentralised institutional databases into a federated system while preserving autonomy”.

The statement concluded by canvassing support for the mandatory nationwide academic verification exercise which is jointly owned by all tertiary institutions and regulatory agencies, providing a one-stop platform that ensures every academic credential is both authentic and digitally traceable.