The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has announced plans to digitise its certificate records to improve efficiency accountability and security while warning against practices that could undermine the integrity of its certification process.
The Director-General of the Scheme Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu disclosed this in a statement signed by the Director of Information and Public Relations Caroline Embu at the 2026 NYSC Certification Officers’ Workshop in Abuja.
The workshop themed ‘Repositioning NYSC Certification: Overcoming Challenges and Driving Seamless Service Delivery’ focused on improving the efficiency and credibility of the certification process.
Nafiu represented by the Director of Planning Research and Statistics Mrs Grace Ogbuogebe urged certification officers to acquire the digital skills required for the planned transition.
He said the Scheme would explore using biometric identification to issue Certificates of National Service subject to technical assessments approvals and necessary safeguards.
The Director-General directed officers to prepare to migrate paper-based certificate production and issuance registers to an Electronic Documents and Records Management System.
According to the statement the proposed digital archive would enable faster retrieval and tracking of records strengthen accountability and protect documents against loss damage and unauthorised alterations.
Nafiu warned against certificate forgery and racketeering record discrepancies and delays in certificate issuance stressing the need to preserve the credibility of the certification process.
He said the Scheme would continue to review its procedures and strengthen safeguards to meet the growing demand for faster transparent and accessible services.
In his welcome address the Director of the Corps Certification Department Alhaji Abdullahi Jikamshi said emerging operational challenges and technological changes required continuous adaptation and process re-engineering.
He warned that errors and avoidable delays could erode public confidence in the Scheme’s certification system.