Nigeria genuinely has a weaker verification system than most countries in this guide — worth knowing plainly, not glossed over, because it changes how much due diligence falls on you.
Unlike India’s eMigrate or the Philippines’ DMW lookup, Nigeria has no single centralised, working online tool to verify a recruitment agency’s licence. The Federal Ministry of Labour issues “International Recruiters Licenses,” but a 2017 suspension of new licensing and its uncertain current status has left genuine confusion — even government bodies have publicly disagreed on whether it was ever formally lifted. A national digital licensing system has been discussed but, per the most recent roadmap found, isn’t expected to be fully operational until sometime between 2027 and 2031.
Practically, this means you can’t rely on a quick online check the way you can in Kenya or Bangladesh. Confirm any recruiter directly with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, and treat an agency that can’t produce verifiable documentation with extra suspicion, not less.
German universities and recognition bodies will only accept WAEC or NECO certificates — not a certificate issued directly by your school — plus the WAEC/NECO “scratch card” verification details. This stricter-than-usual rule exists because of Nigeria’s documented exam-fraud history; it’s not personal, but it does mean you need the original board-issued documentation, not a school transcript.