NYSC to Introduce Electronic Records Management System, DG Charges Certification Officers on Digital Skills
The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, has urged certification officers across the Scheme to acquire the necessary digital skills to improve operational efficiency and service delivery.
Nafiu disclosed that the NYSC would soon transition to an Electronic Documents and Records Management System (EDRMS), stressing the need for certification officers to develop the competencies required to adapt to emerging technologies.
He gave the charge at the 2026 NYSC Certification Officers’ Workshop held in Abuja, with the theme, “Repositioning NYSC Certification: Overcoming Challenges and Driving Seamless Service Delivery.”
The Director-General said the Scheme must sustain high standards of accountability and service excellence to strengthen public confidence and safeguard the integrity of its Certificates of National Service.
“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.
Represented by the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Mrs Grace Ogbuogebe, Nafiu directed that deliberate steps be taken to migrate paper-based Certificate of National Service production and issuance registers to an electronic records management system.
He explained that establishing a comprehensive digital archive would enable the prompt retrieval and tracking of records, improve accountability, and protect vital documents against physical damage, loss and unauthorised alterations.
Nafiu emphasised that safeguarding the integrity, credibility and efficiency of the NYSC certification process required collective responsibility. He added that the Scheme would continue to review its procedures and strengthen operational safeguards.
He also identified certificate forgery and racketeering, discrepancies in records, delays in certificate issuance, and increasing public demand for faster, more transparent and accessible services as challenges requiring sustained attention.
“We must remain vigilant against challenges such as certificate forgery and racketeering, discrepancies in records, delays in certificate issuance, and the growing demand for faster, more transparent and accessible services,” he said.
In his welcome address, the Director of the Corps Certification Department, Alhaji Abdullahi Jikamshi, said deliberations at the workshop would focus on critical areas aimed at improving service delivery.
Jikamshi noted that although the Scheme had recorded significant milestones over the years, emerging operational challenges and changes in the technological landscape required continuous adaptation, innovation and process re-engineering.
“The changing technological landscape and emerging operational hurdles require us to adapt, innovate and re-engineer our processes,” he said.
He warned that even minor errors or avoidable delays could undermine the credibility the NYSC had painstakingly built over more than five decades.
“A single oversight or avoidable delay can damage the credibility that the NYSC has painstakingly built over five decades,” Jikamshi added.
NYSC to Introduce Electronic Records Management System, DG Charges Certification Officers on Digital Skills