In a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Folasade Boriowo, the ministry maintained that the platform remains fully secure and that no cyberattack took place.
The clarification followed a report titled “Suspected Cyberattack Hits FG’s Education Data Platform,” which suggested that the system may have been breached.
“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.
According to the ministry, what users experienced as a warning notification was triggered by an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate configuration issue at the hosting level, not a security breach.
It explained that the glitch temporarily affected secure access certification but did not lead to any 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 statement added.
The ministry noted that its technical team worked in collaboration with the hosting service provider to quickly resolve the issue and restore normal operations.
“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.”
It further cautioned against misinterpreting browser security warnings, stressing that SSL-related alerts do not automatically indicate 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 said.
The ministry added that expert opinions referenced in the report also acknowledged that such alerts could arise from routine technical or configuration issues rather than malicious activity.
Reaffirming its commitment to data security, the ministry said NEMIS remains a critical digital infrastructure supporting education data collection, management, and utilisation across the country.
It also disclosed that robust safeguards are in place, including continuous system monitoring, security infrastructure, and periodic assessments to ensure the platform’s stability and protection.
The statement further highlighted the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure as the Federal Government’s flagship framework aimed at strengthening data governance, integration, accessibility, and evidence-based planning in the education sector.