The Senate, on Tuesday, reignited a heated national debate after senators discussed a proposal that could lead to the scrapping of the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS), a federal agency that, for more than six decades, has overseen Arabic and Islamic education and certification in Nigeria.
Senator Kawu Sumaila (Kano South) led a defence of NBAIS on the floor, reminding colleagues that the board has operated for over 60 years and warning that abolishing it would sever the federal certification pathway—known as the SAISSCE—for millions of Muslim students who rely on NBAIS-certificated qualifications alongside WAEC and NECO.
Why the proposal matters
Abolishing NBAIS would effectively end SAISSCE, removing what many Muslim families and institutions regard as the only federal certification for Arabic and Islamic learning.
The move has political and symbolic implications: it comes under a Muslim–Muslim administration, prompting criticism from some Muslim leaders who say the debate over NBAIS’s existence calls into question the government’s commitment to protecting Islamic institutions.
The current push appears linked to a petition filed in May 2025 by a Christian group, The National Prayer Altar, which urged the federal government to rescind the equivalence of NBAIS certificates with WAEC and NECO on the grounds it allegedly breaches the nation’s secular framework. That petition now seems to be influencing discussions within the National Assembly.
Call to action from Muslim groups
A statement by the Muslim Enlightenment Network (MEN) has called on Muslim organisations and leaders across the country to respond urgently. MEN urged the National Association of Teachers of Arabic and Islamic Studies (NATAIS), the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, and other Arabic and Islamic associations to:
- Issue a joint press statement rejecting any attempt to scrap or weaken NBAIS;
- Press Muslim senators and government appointees to publicly declare their positions on the board’s future;
- Engage the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission (NUC) to defend the board’s statutory status;
- Seek clarification from the Attorney-General’s office, from which MEN says a memo was routed to the Senate.
MEN also commended Senator Sumaila for speaking up on the Senate floor and warned that “silence now will be read as consent,” framing the defence of NBAIS as a rights issue for millions of Nigerian Muslim students.
Reactions and next steps
Senate deliberations on the memo and any formal legislative motion to alter NBAIS’s status have not yet resulted in a vote. Officials at the Federal Ministry of Education and the NUC have not reacted to the development.
The National Prayer Altar and other groups that supported the 2025 petition have not publicly commented on the latest Senate discussions.
If senators move to ratify proposals that remove federal recognition or equivalence for NBAIS certificates, the change would have immediate implications for curricula, university admissions and secondary-school certification for students of Arabic and Islamic studies across Nigeria.
What the NBAIS stakeholders want
Advocates for NBAIS say the board ensures standardised Arabic and Islamic instruction and that its certificates provide parity for Muslim students in tertiary admissions and employment.
