FG Dismisses Report of Cyberattack on Education Data Platform

The Federal Ministry of Education has dismissed reports that the Nigeria Education Management Information System (NEMIS) was hacked, assuring Nigerians that the platform remains secure and fully operational.

The ministry, in a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Folasade Boriowo, described reports of a cyberattack on the education data platform as inaccurate and misleading.

“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 said.

The clarification followed a report suggesting that the platform may have been compromised after some users encountered a warning message while attempting to access the system.

According to the ministry, the alert was caused by an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate configuration issue at the hosting level and was not linked to any security breach.

It explained that the technical issue did not involve unauthorised access, data loss, alteration of records or exposure of sensitive information.

“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 stated.

The ministry added that its technical team worked with the hosting service provider to resolve the issue immediately and restore normal access to the platform.

It also warned against interpreting browser security alerts or SSL certificate warnings as automatic evidence of cyberattacks, noting that such issues can occur due to routine technical configurations.

The Federal Government described NEMIS as a critical platform for collecting, managing and utilising education data to support planning and decision-making across the country.

The ministry said it continues to maintain security measures, including regular system monitoring, infrastructure protection and periodic security assessments, to safeguard the platform.

It further highlighted the importance of the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure in improving education data governance, accessibility and evidence-based planning.

The ministry urged media organisations and members of the public to verify information through official channels before publishing claims concerning government digital platforms, warning that unverified reports could create unnecessary concerns.