By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is set to transition to an Electronic Documents and Records Management System (EDRMS), as part of efforts to improve certificate issuance, enhance accountability and combat certificate forgery.
The Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, disclosed this at the 2026 NYSC Certification Officers’ Workshop in Abuja, themed, “Repositioning NYSC Certification: Overcoming Challenges and Driving Seamless Service Delivery.”
Nafiu, who was represented by the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Mrs Grace Ogbuogebe, charged certification officers across the Scheme to acquire the necessary digital skills to improve operational efficiency and service delivery.
He directed that deliberate steps be taken to migrate paper-based Certificate of National Service production and issuance registers to an electronic records management system.
According to him, a comprehensive digital archive would enable faster retrieval and tracking of records, strengthen accountability and protect vital documents against physical damage, loss and unauthorized alterations.
The NYSC chief also said the Scheme would explore appropriate technological solutions, including biometric identification for issuing Certificates of National Service, subject to the necessary technical assessments, approvals and safeguards.
“We must explore and adopt appropriate technological solutions, including biometric identification for the issuance of Certificates of National Service, subject to the necessary technical assessments, approvals and safeguards,” he said.
Nafiu emphasized the need for collective efforts to safeguard the integrity, credibility and efficiency of the NYSC certification process, adding that the Scheme would continue to review its procedures and strengthen operational safeguards.
He identified certificate forgery and racketeering, discrepancies in records, delays in certificate issuance and growing demands for faster, more transparent and accessible services as challenges requiring sustained attention.
The Director-General stressed that maintaining high standards of accountability and service excellence was essential to preserving public confidence in the Scheme and protecting the integrity of its certificates.
Earlier, the Director of the Corps Certification Department, Alhaji Abdullahi Jikamshi, said the workshop would focus on critical areas of the certification process to improve service delivery.
Jikamshi noted that although the NYSC had recorded significant milestones over the years, emerging operational challenges and technological advancements required continuous adaptation, innovation and process re-engineering.
He warned that lapses in the certification process could undermine public confidence in the Scheme.
“A single oversight or avoidable delay can damage the credibility that the NYSC has painstakingly built over five decades,” he said.
The workshop is expected to strengthen the capacity of certification officers and improve the efficiency, transparency and security of the NYSC’s certificate issuance process.
