By ZAKAA LAZARUS
The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, has charged certification officers across the Scheme to acquire requisite digital skills to enhance operational efficiency and service delivery.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Director, Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu.
He said the Scheme would soon transition to an electronic records management system, stressing the need for certification officers to develop the competencies required to adapt to the evolving technological landscape.
Nafiu 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.”
He stated that as the nation expects the NYSC to maintain high standards of accountability and service excellence, the Scheme would continue to strengthen public confidence and protect 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.
The Director-General, who was represented by the Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Mrs Grace Ogbuogebe, directed that deliberate steps be taken to migrate paper-based Certificate of National Service production and issuance registers to an Electronic Documents and Records Management System (EDRMS).
He explained that a comprehensive digital archive would facilitate the prompt retrieval and tracking of records, improve accountability, and protect vital documents against physical damage, loss and unauthorised alterations.
Nafiu, who emphasised the importance of collective efforts in safeguarding the integrity, credibility and efficiency of the NYSC certification process, added that the Scheme would continue to review its procedures and strengthen operational safeguards.
“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, Corps Certification Department, Alhaji Abdullahi Jikamshi, said deliberations at the workshop would focus on critical areas aimed at improving service delivery.
He 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.
“A single oversight or avoidable delay can damage the credibility that the NYSC has painstakingly built over five decades,” Jikamshi said.
