A religious advocacy institution, The National Prayer Altar, has petitioned the Nigerian government over its recognition of certificates issued by the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS) as equivalent to WAEC, NECO, and NBTE qualifications for entry into Nigeria’s secular tertiary institutions.
The body in a statement dated May 14, 2025, and directed to the Minister of Education and the sector's regulatory bodies such as the National Universities Commission (NUC), and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the organisation called for the instant cancellation of the controversial policy,
cautioning against its potential to undermine Nigeria's secular education system and heighten religious and ethnic tensions.
Condemning the policy as “inconsistent with Nigeria's secular ethos,” the group stressed that the Federal Government had “taken a step that functionally violates constitutional neutrality” via the incorporation of sectarian credentials into the standard education system.
“This policy decision does not merely flirt with constitutional boundaries, it crosses them, it introduces a theological asymmetry into a national education system that is, by law and by design, intended to be secular, merit-based, and religiously agnostic.” the petition stated.
The organisation cotends that recognizing NBAIS certifications alongside WAEC and NECO gives undue preference to one religion.
“No federal education board exists for Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Tiv, Ijaw, or Christian Biblical Studies,” the statement read.
“This action violates the constitutional mandate of religious neutrality under Section 10 and directly undermines the Federal Character principle under Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution.”
The body also criticized the opaque nature of NBAIS's certification process, citing a lack of legislative backing and interagency agreement.
“To date, there is no publicly accessible Act of the National Assembly, Executive Order, or inter-agency communiqué that explicitly confirms NBAIS’s elevation to the status of a general certifying body,” the group claimed.
"Legitimacy in a federal education system is not conferred by silence, speculation, or stealth.”
It further criticised the policy's tendency to “invite a wave of lawful demands from other religious and cultural groups for federal equivalence, resulting in a proliferation of fragmented certification boards, ideologically divergent syllabuses, and policy incoherence.”
Asserting their demands, and a total overhaul of the policy rather than reform, the organisation requested a formal statement from the Presidency and National Assembly affirming WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, and NBTE-approved bodies as the sole accepted certifications for academic progression.
“This is not a call for review or reform. It is a call for total reversal,” the NBAIS equivalence policy must be abolished in its entirety. The future of Nigeria’s children, its institutions, and its democratic integrity depends on it.”
0 Comments