Leave NBAIS to work in Its Mandate -By Auwal Ahmed Ibrahim

Every time Nigeria faces a policy debate, we have a habit of dragging institutions into battles they were never designed to fight. The latest is the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies, NBAIS.

Calls to “scrap” or “overhaul” NBAIS have resurfaced, often on the altar of misunderstanding about what the Board actually does. But if we step back and look at facts, figures, and the mandate of NBAIS, one conclusion is clear: Nigeria needs NBAIS to work, not to be distracted.

NBAIS was established by Decree 55 of 1999, now an Act of the National Assembly. Its mandate is simple and technical:

Standardize and certify Arabic and Islamic Studies at Senior Secondary School level. Conduct examinations equivalent to WAEC and NECO for students only in Tsangaya, Islamiyya, and Arabic schools which the two examination bodies don’t cover. (Many Arabic courses not offered by WAEC and NECO). Develop curriculum that integrates religious knowledge with literacy, numeracy, and civic education. Issue certificates recognized for admission into universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. This is the way to integrate tsangaya schools into the formal education, reduce out-of-school children on the streets, and through this religious extremism is managed

NBAIS does not regulate mosques. It does not preach. It does not run madrassas (Islamic Schools) but It only examines and certifies, and by so doing it’s generate revenue for the country and achieve its mandate of reducing street children.

In 2023 alone, NBAIS registered over 380,000 candidates nationwide for its Senior School Certificate Examination. In 2024, that number rose to more than 410,000. The Board now has zonal offices in all 6 geopolitical zones and conducts exams in over 3,500 centers across 35 states and the FCT.

Those are not small numbers. They represent hundreds of thousands of Nigerian youths who would otherwise have no formal pathway from Qur’anic education to university and civil service, and to bring this to moonlight other religion has this opportunity since the creation of Nigeria.

Nigeria has an estimated 13.2 million out-of-school children, according to UNICEF 2024 data. The North West and North East account for over 60% of that figure. A significant portion of these children are in Tsangaya and traditional Islamic schools.

For decades, these schools operated outside the formal system. Students memorized the Qur’an, but had no certificate to enter JAMB, NDA, nursing school, or even to apply for government empowerment programs. This result to a parallel education system that produces knowledge but not employability, despite their knowledge and skills in trades.

NBAIS was created to bridge that gap. By integrating Arabic, Islamic Studies, English, Mathematics, and Civic Education into one certificate, it gives a Tsangaya graduate the same legal standing as a WAEC candidate.

Since 2019, over 15,000 NBAIS holders have gained admission into Nigerian universities including ABU Zaria, UDUS Sokoto, and BUK Kano. The Nigerian Army, Police, and Civil Defence now accept NBAIS certificates for recruitment. That is integration, not separation.

The calls to scrap NBAIS miss the point because WAEC and NECO do not test Arabic Language, Qur’anic Memorization, Tajweed, Fiqh, or Hadith at the depths, NBAIS does. Yet universities offering Sharia, Islamic Studies, and Arabic require those competencies. NBAIS fills a gap, it does not duplicate. Just as NECO and WAEC co-exist, NBAIS co-exists to serve a specific learner population.

Also, NBAIS is operating on constipational foundation, The Constitution guarantees freedom of education. It is an academic examination body, not a religious authority. Its syllabus is approved by NERDC and supervised by the Federal Ministry of Education.

Quality improves with investment, not abolition. In 2022, NBAIS recorded a 68% pass rate. By 2024, with CBT centers and better monitoring, it rose to 74%. That is the same trajectory WAEC took in its first 20 years. If we scrap every institution at the first sign of growing pains, we would have no public universities today.

Let’s talk about business. Each NBAIS candidate pays between N12,000 – N18,000 in exam fees. With 410,000 candidates in 2024, that is about N5.7 billion circulating within schools, printing, logistics, and supervisors – money that stays in the local economy.

More importantly, scrapping NBAIS pushes 400,000+ students back into informality. Many will drop out. Some will become vulnerable to recruitment by extremist groups that thrive where the state is absent.

The Federal Government’s own “Better Education Service Delivery for All” BESDA program identified Tsangaya integration as a key strategy to reduce out-of-school numbers. NBAIS is the examination arm of that strategy.

For the good it’s offers to all the people of the country. We should know that
NBAIS is currently runs on less than N2.5 billion annual budget. For an agency examining 400,000+ students, that is N6,000 per student. WAEC and NECO get far more. Increase funding for CBT, teacher training, and monitoring. Strengthen NBTE and NERDC’s role in curriculum review. Publish annual performance data by state to checkmate progress.

Nigeria will not achieve peace by pretending that 20+ million Nigerians who value Arabic and Islamic education do not exist. Peace comes when every child, whether in a conventional school in Lagos or a Tsangaya in Kaduna, has a certificate that opens doors of opportunities as Nigerian citizens under the privilege of fundamental human rights.

Scrapping NBAIS on the altar of misunderstanding will not make Nigeria more secular. It will make Nigeria less educated. It will not unite us. It will push more children to the margins, while poverty and insecurity will shine brighter.

Let NBAIS work. Judge it by results, not rumors. In the last 5 years it has examined over 1.8 million students, placed thousands in tertiary institutions, and given dignity to a segment of our population long ignored by policy.

If there are gaps, reform them. If there is corruption, investigate it. But do not burn down a bridge because some people don’t like who is crossing it.

Auwal Ahmed Ibrahim, Goronyo is a strategic communicator, writes from Kaduna and can be reached via auwalgoronyo@gmail.com