Nigerian govt debunks alleged cyberattack on education data platform

The Federal Ministry of Education has dismissed reports alleging that the Nigeria Education Management Information System (NEMIS) was compromised by a cyberattack, describing the claim as inaccurate and misleading.

The clarification was contained in a press statement issued on June 16, 2026, by the Director of Press and Public Relations of the ministry, Boriowo Folasade.

According to the statement, the ministry was reacting to a publication which suggested that the NEMIS education data platform had been breached.

The ministry stated that at no time was the platform hacked, breached or subjected to any form of cyberattack, maintaining that the integrity, confidentiality and availability of data on the system remained fully intact.

“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.

The ministry explained that the temporary warning message observed by some users resulted from a Secure Sockets Layer, SSL, certificate configuration issue at the hosting level, which affected secure access to the platform.

According to the statement, the issue was technical in nature and did not involve unauthorised access to the system, data loss, data alteration or exposure of sensitive information.

The ministry further disclosed that its technical team, working with the hosting service provider, promptly resolved the issue and restored normal operations.

It noted that browser security warnings and SSL certificate alerts should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of a cyberattack or data breach.

The ministry stated that the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure serves as the Federal Government’s framework for strengthening education data governance, integration and accessibility across the sector.

The statement added that NEMIS remains a critical digital platform for the collection, management and utilisation of education data, while the Federal Ministry of Education continues to implement security measures, system monitoring and periodic assessments to safeguard the platform.

“The Ministry therefore urges media organizations and members of the public to refrain from disseminating unverified information capable of creating unnecessary concern and undermining public confidence in government digital platforms,” the statement added.

The ministry advised members of the public and stakeholders to disregard reports suggesting that the NEMIS platform had been compromised, insisting that such claims were unfounded.

Nigerian govt debunks alleged cyberattack on education data platform