Maha Christopher
The Federal Ministry of Education has dismissed reports alleging that the Nigeria Education Management Information System (NEMIS) was hacked, insisting that the platform remains secure and fully operational.
According to The Punch, the ministry was responding to a report titled “Suspected Cyberattack Hits FG’s Education Data Platform”, which suggested that the education data system may have been compromised.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Folasade Boriowo, described the report 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 read.
The ministry explained that the warning message seen by some users resulted from an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate configuration issue at the hosting level and not from any form of cyberattack.
According to the statement, the technical issue affected the platform’s secure access certification but did not lead to unauthorised access, data loss, record alteration 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 said.
It added that the issue was promptly resolved through collaboration between its technical team and the hosting service provider.
“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 further clarified that browser security warnings linked to SSL certificates should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of a cyberattack or data breach.
“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 added.
The ministry reaffirmed that NEMIS remains a critical platform for education data management nationwide and said it continues to implement robust security measures, regular monitoring and periodic assessments to protect the system.
It also urged media organisations and members of the public to verify information through official channels before publishing claims that could undermine confidence in government digital platforms.
