by Edentu Oroso, Publications Unit
Graduating students of Federal University Otuoke have benefited from a one-day Awareness Seminar on National Youth Service Corps and Nigeria Education Repository and Databank requirements, organised to sensitise them to key requirements and processes ahead of their transition from the university into national service and the world of work.
The seminar was held on Monday, August 17, 2026, at the Main Auditorium, East Campus, with the Registrar of the University, Mrs. Andabi Benita Amangi-Edomo, representing the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Promise Mebine.
The programme, the first of its kind, formed part of the university’s efforts to prepare graduating students for life after graduation, particularly their participation in the NYSC programme and compliance with NERD requirements.
The seminar was particularly timely, given the NERD policy requiring graduating students to comply with the national databank requirements as an additional prerequisite for participation in, or exemption from, the NYSC programme.
Speaking on the occasion, the Vice-Chancellor congratulated the graduating students on successfully completing their four-year academic programme and commended them for their perseverance and commitment to their studies.
Prof. Mebine, through the Registrar, Mrs Amangi-Edomo, urged the graduating students to approach the next phase of their lives with discipline and responsibility, while making effective use of the knowledge and values acquired during their time at the university.
Mrs Amangi-Edomo noted that while students had several sources of financial support from uncles, aunts, parents and guardians, such support might no longer be readily available after graduation.
“As graduates of FUO, there is a lot coming your way that you have to deal with,” she said. “Today, we are having a seminar from NYSC and NERD, while representatives from Student Affairs and the ICT Unit will take you through the processes of registering with NERD and NYSC.”
The graduating students had formally signed out from the university on Friday, August 14, 2026, following the successful completion of their academic programmes.
The Dean of Student Affairs, Professor Juliet Bodisere Teibowei, through the Sub-Dean, Dr. Gilbert, congratulated the graduating students who had signed out and were now prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps. She urged them to approach the next phase of their lives with responsibility and integrity, while stressing the importance of complying with the mandatory registration requirements of the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank.
Dr. Gilbert explained that the Federal Government introduced the NERD registration requirement as part of efforts to curb the proliferation of fake certificates and protect the integrity of academic credentials.
According to him, “The Federal Government has deemed it necessary to curb the incessant faking of certificates through NERD.”
He noted that Federal University Otuoke had earned a strong reputation as one of Nigeria’s notable universities through the achievements of its graduates across the country. He said the institution had, so far, maintained the integrity of its academic records without any recorded breach.
“We have not recorded breach of academic records so far,” he said, urging the graduates to remain conscious of the reputation of the university wherever their careers take them. “We expect you to always remember that you’re a graduate of Federal University Otuoke in your endeavours. Always guide yourself with diligence, integrity, accountability and the show of love wherever you go.”
Dr. Gilbert further admonished the graduates to be proactive and responsible members of society, urging them not to be among those who merely watch events unfold, but to become people who make a positive difference and contribute meaningfully to their communities.
The Bayelsa State representative of NERD at the seminar, Mr. Victor, explained that the compulsory registration was primarily aimed at preventing intellectual theft and the proliferation of fake certificates. He subsequently guided the graduates through the various stages of the registration process on the NERD portal.
The registration requires applicants to provide personal and academic information, including title, first name, middle name, surname, nationality, sex, marital status, email address and telephone number. Other required details include the institution attended, faculty, department, programme of study and matriculation number.
Graduates are also required to upload a recent passport photograph, certificate, signed certification page of their project, and provide the name and contact details of their project supervisor and Head of Department. They must also submit a duly signed soft copy of their project bearing the approval of both the Head of Department and project supervisor.
Upon successful completion and verification of the process, the graduate is issued a NERD clearance certificate.
Mr. Victor emphasised the importance of completing the registration, noting that the information supplied by each graduate would be reflected on the dashboard of the Dean of Student Affairs for monitoring and verification. He warned that students who failed to comply with the requirement would not be permitted to proceed to the NYSC orientation camp.
The Students Affairs Officer, Mrs Bukuromo Tari Isioma, who also served as convener of the one-day seminar, explained the distinction between the Senate List and the Senate Approved List. She noted that while the Senate List contains the names presented for consideration, the Senate Approved List comprises the names formally approved by the Senate, after which the Registrar forwards the list to the Dean of Students Affairs for uploading to the appropriate platforms.
Mrs Isioma urged graduating students to ensure consistency in the names they use when registering for the NERD and NYSC. She advised them to avoid the use of initials and ensure that their names correspond exactly with those on their JAMB admission letters.
She explained that where discrepancies exist in students’ names, the affected students would be required to obtain an indemnity form from JAMB at their own expense and submit it to the Vice-Chancellor. They would also be required to support the correction with a newspaper publication, attach their West African Examinations Council, WAEC, and JAMB results showing the variation, and write to the ICT Unit through the Registrar to facilitate the necessary update of their records.
The Students Affairs Officer further advised students who changed their courses during the admission process to return to the JAMB office to regularise the change and obtain a reprinted admission letter. She cautioned that failure to properly document such changes could create complications during NYSC registration.
She also stressed the importance of the correct arrangement and spelling of names, noting that the surname must appear first and that students must ensure consistency across all official records. She added that discrepancies in dates of graduation would not be accepted.
Mrs Isioma also outlined some of the documents graduating students would be required to present at the NYSC orientation camp. These include the NYSC call-up letter, National Identification Number, medical fitness report issued by a reputable hospital, passport photographs and other relevant documents.
Speaking on data-related challenges, the Data Entry Officer of the ICT Unit, Federal University Otuoke, said the Unit had over time observed recurring issues involving email addresses and National Identification Number details, particularly among students who used cybercafés and business centres during the Post-UTME registration process. He urged students in this category to review their portal information carefully and ensure that their details were accurate, in order to prevent avoidable complications or issues of non-compliance with NERD and NYSC requirements.
He directed the students to visit the University’s NERD portal, nerd.fuotuoke.edu.ng, to complete and verify their details for onward processing.
The highlight of the one-day awareness seminar was a motivational session titled “Beyond the Classroom: Preparing for Life After School,” delivered by Dr Franca Okumo of the Department of English, FUO.
Dr Okumo opened her presentation with an ice-breaker, citing the popular saying, “If you get the right information, you won’t be deformed.” She noted that the students’ decision to attend the seminar demonstrated that they were intentional about their future and willing to acquire the information needed to navigate life beyond the university.
She emphasised that the various experiences students undergo throughout their university education, from examinations and preparations to graduation, play an important role in shaping the individuals they aspire to become. According to her, these experiences help students develop the virtues, discipline and values required to become productive members of society.
The motivational session therefore challenged the graduating students to look beyond obtaining their degrees and begin preparing deliberately for the responsibilities, opportunities and challenges that await them after university.
Dr. Okumo urged the graduating students to reflect on five key lessons as they prepare for life beyond the university. Her first message was that they should view “graduation as a transition and not the end of life.”
She explained that graduation marks the beginning of a new phase, one that may come with uncertainty and anxiety. “Your life isn’t ending because you’ve graduated,” she said, urging the students to prepare themselves through mental alertness and emotional resilience.
According to her, developing emotional resilience would be particularly important as the graduates navigate the National Youth Service Corps year and other challenges ahead. She noted, “The extent to which you can build your emotional resilience determines how you can cope during the national service year.”
Dr. Okumo stressed that the pressures graduates encounter after leaving the classroom should be viewed as part of their preparation for adulthood. “The stress you’re going through is part of the training,” she said, explaining that such experiences help young people become independent and capable of making sound decisions.
She further reminded the students that university education cannot provide answers to every challenge they will face in life. “There are so many things that the classroom did not teach you that life will teach you,” she said, encouraging the graduates to embrace the lessons that come with experience, responsibility and independence.
According to Dr. Okumo, the second key is recognising that life does not come to a pause. She urged the graduates to approach their national service year with a clear sense of purpose rather than simply seeing it as an obligation to fulfil. She encouraged them to ask themselves important questions: Who will I meet during my service year? What will I learn? What opportunities can I identify and pursue?
Dr. Okumo stressed that the service year presents valuable opportunities for personal and professional growth, noting that participants are constantly on a “stage” where their conduct, abilities and relationships are being observed. She therefore advised them to use the period to acquire new skills, particularly interpersonal and relational skills, which she described as essential for success in the 21st century. She urged the graduates to remain alert to opportunities, build meaningful relationships and make deliberate efforts to learn and grow throughout the service year.
She emphasised the importance of building human capital, noting that “the world will buy you based on the rate at which you sell yourself.” According to her, knowledge capital is a critical component of human capital, as the knowledge acquired can be translated into practical steps for creating value and generating wealth. “You’re a wealth creation agent,” she said, stressing that an individual’s earning potential depends largely on the ability to identify problems and provide solutions.
She identified relational capital as the second key component of human capital, noting that “the world will pay you on the basis of the relationships that you’ve kept.” She therefore urged the graduates to leverage the relationships and networks they have built as “relational currency” to advance their careers and lives after graduation.
In a world where information and communication are transmitted within seconds, Dr. Okumo emphasised that leveraging social capital is no longer optional. “Appear or you’ll vanish from relevance,” she cautioned, urging the graduates to build meaningful relationships and remain visible in an increasingly interconnected world.
Her fourth key was the need for graduates to “lead yourselves,” stressing that self-leadership is the foundation of effective leadership. “If you can’t lead yourself, you can’t lead others,” she said, encouraging the graduates to develop the discipline, responsibility and self-awareness required to navigate the next phase of their lives.
The fifth and final motivational key was a call to embrace their individual journeys and pursue their aspirations boldly. Dr. Okumo urged the graduates not to compare their beginnings with those of others, but to focus on developing their unique gifts and abilities. She reminded them that their destination after the National Youth Service Corps year would not mark the end of their journey, but another stage in their growth.
“Do it afraid. Be audacious, be bold,” she urged, encouraging the graduates to pursue their dreams despite uncertainty or fear. According to her, “The level to which you dream is the level to which you’ll find yourself.” In her closing remarks, the Registrar reiterated “Do it afraid” as her greatest takeaway from the seminar. She expressed appreciation to the graduating students for their impressive turnout and commended the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Promise Mebine, for making the seminar possible.
