Education ministry rejects claims of compromised education database

The Federal Ministry of Education has dismissed claims that the Nigeria Education Management Information System (NEMIS) suffered a cyberattack, saying the platform remains secure and fully operational.i

The clarification followed a report suggesting that the federal education data system had been compromised. The ministry described the report as incorrect and capable of causing unnecessary alarm.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Folasade Boriowo, the ministry firmly rejected the allegation.

“The Ministry wishes to categorically state that the report is inaccurate and misleading. At no time was the NEMIS platform hacked, breached, or subjected to any cyberattack. The integrity, confidentiality, and availability of data on the platform remain fully intact,” the statement read.

Officials explained that concerns raised by users stemmed from a temporary SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate configuration issue at hosting level, not any intrusion or malicious activity.

According to the ministry, the glitch only affected secure access verification and did not expose, alter or remove any data on the system.

“The incident was purely technical in nature and did not involve any unauthorised access to the system, data loss, data alteration, or exposure of sensitive information,” the ministry said.

It added that the problem was swiftly resolved through collaboration between its technical team and the hosting provider, restoring normal service without delay.

“Upon identification of the issue, the Ministry’s technical team, working in collaboration with the hosting service provider, promptly resolved the matter and restored normal service operations. The platform remains fully functional, secure, and accessible to all authorised users.”

The ministry also cautioned against misinterpreting standard browser security warnings as evidence of hacking incidents.

“It is important to note that browser security warnings or SSL certificate-related alerts do not, in themselves, constitute evidence of a cyberattack or data breach,” the statement said.

It further noted that experts referenced in the original report had also acknowledged that such alerts are often linked to routine technical or configuration issues.

Reiterating its position, the ministry said NEMIS remains central to Nigeria’s education data management system, supporting planning, monitoring and policy development across the sector.

It added that continuous safeguards, monitoring systems and periodic security checks are in place to maintain the platform’s integrity.

The ministry also urged the public and media outlets to verify information before publication, warning that unverified claims could undermine trust in government digital infrastructure.