Scheme warns prospective corps members against night travel, outlines fresh registration requirements
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has released fresh mobilisation guidelines for prospective 2026 Batch B Stream II corps members, making Nigeria Education Repository and Data Park (NERD) verification a compulsory requirement for deployment.
In a notice issued on Monday, the scheme stressed that no prospective corps member would be mobilised without completing the NERD verification process.
“No NERD, no NYSC. Prospective corps members are advised not to travel at night to the orientation camp,” the scheme stated.
The NYSC also warned that prospective corps members whose graduation dates on their call-up letters differ from those on their statements of results would not be registered at orientation camps.
Affected candidates were advised to resolve any discrepancies with their respective Student Affairs Officers (SAOs) before reporting to camp.
The scheme further directed all prospective corps members to complete and print all required registration documents before arriving at the orientation camp.
“Prospective Corps Members are advised to print and sign the registration form, which must be submitted during camp registration,” the statement added.
Date of Birth Correction Process
The NYSC also outlined the procedure for candidates seeking to correct their dates of birth.
According to the scheme, affected applicants must obtain a 19- or 20-digit WAEC Verification PIN, log into their NYSC dashboard, select the ‘Correction of Date of Birth’ option, enter the verification PIN, choose the appropriate WAEC examination type, examination year and examination number, before verifying and submitting the request.
FG Makes NERD Compliance Mandatory
The latest directive follows the Federal Government’s decision in May to make NERD compliance compulsory for NYSC mobilisation and exemption.
Speaking during a national capacity-building programme for school representatives, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said the policy was introduced to strengthen institutional compliance, improve the integrity of academic records and eliminate certificate fraud.
According to the minister, participation in or exemption from the NYSC scheme is now tied to successful NERD verification.
Established in 2023, the Nigeria Education Repository and Data Park (NERD) was created to provide a secure national platform for managing, preserving and verifying educational records in collaboration with government institutions and private-sector partners.
Alausa said the government would aggressively enforce compliance to curb certificate racketeering, prevent credential falsification and eliminate disputes surrounding academic qualifications.
He disclosed that more than 133,000 students, 6,800 lecturers, and over 655 institutional focal persons had already been enrolled on the platform, while more than 1,000 digital service centres had been established nationwide through partnerships with Nigerian technology entrepreneurs.
