JUST IN: FG dismisses report of cyberattack on education data platform, reaffirms NEMIS security

Education

ABUJA, Nigeria (NPA) — The Federal Government has dismissed reports alleging that the Nigeria Education Management Information System (NEMIS) was compromised by a cyberattack, insisting that the education data platform remains secure and fully operational.

The clarification follows a media report suggesting that the Federal Government’s education data infrastructure may have suffered a security breach.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Federal Ministry of Education described the report as inaccurate and misleading, stressing that there was no cyberattack, hacking incident, or unauthorised access to the NEMIS platform.

According to the Ministry, the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of data on the platform were never compromised.

The Ministry explained that a temporary warning message encountered by some users was caused by a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate configuration issue at the hosting level, which affected the platform’s secure access certification.

It noted that the incident was purely technical and did not result in data loss, data alteration, system compromise, or exposure of sensitive information.

“The platform was neither hacked nor breached. The issue was related to SSL certification and was promptly resolved by our technical team in collaboration with the hosting service provider,” the statement said.

The Ministry added that normal services have since been fully restored and that the platform remains accessible to authorised users.

It further explained that browser security warnings associated with SSL certificate issues should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of a cyberattack or data breach.

According to the Ministry, even cybersecurity experts referenced in the original publication acknowledged that such warnings can result from routine technical or configuration issues rather than malicious activity.

NEMIS serves as a key digital platform for the collection, management, and utilisation of education data across Nigeria’s education sector.

The Ministry said it continues to deploy robust cybersecurity measures, system monitoring tools, infrastructure safeguards, and periodic security assessments to ensure the platform’s reliability and security.

The statement also highlighted the role of the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure (NEDI), which serves as the Federal Government’s flagship framework for strengthening education data governance, integration, accessibility, and evidence-based planning.

According to the Ministry, protecting the integrity of platforms supporting NEDI remains a critical priority.

The Federal Government therefore urged media organisations and members of the public to verify information through official channels before publishing or circulating claims relating to government digital platforms.

It warned that the dissemination of unverified reports could create unnecessary public concern and undermine confidence in critical government systems.

The Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to information security, digital governance, transparency, and accountability in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

It advised stakeholders, development partners, and members of the public to disregard reports suggesting that NEMIS was compromised, maintaining that the claims are unfounded and unsupported by the facts.