The Federal Ministry of Education has officially refuted claims that its education data management system was compromised by hackers. In a statement released on June 16, 2026, the ministry described the reports as false and misleading.
According to Boriowo Folasade, Director of Press and Public Relations at the ministry, the allegations stemmed from a misunderstanding. The ministry clarified that the NEMIS platform was never breached or hacked, and all data remains secure and accessible.
The issue arose from a temporary Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate configuration error at the hosting level, which triggered security warnings on some users’ browsers. The ministry stressed that this was a technical glitch, not a cyberattack, and that no unauthorized access, data loss, or data alteration occurred.
Following the discovery, the ministry’s technical team collaborated with the hosting provider to resolve the issue promptly, restoring normal operations. The ministry emphasized that browser security alerts should not be automatically interpreted as evidence of a data breach.
The Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure is a key federal initiative aimed at improving education data governance, integration, and accessibility. NEMIS plays a critical role in collecting, managing, and utilizing education data. The ministry continues to implement security measures, monitor systems, and conduct periodic assessments to safeguard the platform.
Finally, the ministry urged media organizations and the public to avoid spreading unverified information that could cause unnecessary alarm and undermine confidence in government digital platforms. It called on stakeholders to ignore reports suggesting that NEMIS had been compromised, reiterating that such claims are baseless.