. Recent calls for the scrapping of the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS) on the grounds that its mandate ov...
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The argument may sound attractive on the surface, particularly in a country where institutional duplication and public-sector efficiency are legitimate concerns.
However, a closer examination of the history, mandate and role of NBAIS shows that abolishing the board would be a serious setback to educational inclusion.
Nigeria has never operated a single-track education system. Over the years, different educational traditions have developed to serve communities with different histories, philosophies and learning needs, while ultimately pursuing the same national objective: producing educated citizens capable of contributing meaningfully to society. WAEC and NECO perform important national examination functions.
But NBAIS was established to address a particular educational pathway, especially for students within Arabic, Islamic, Tsangaya and Islamiyya education systems.
Its existence therefore reflects the diversity of Nigeria's educational landscape rather than an unnecessary duplication of institutions.
The central argument for scrapping NBAIS is that its examination functions overlap with those of WAEC and NECO. But genuine duplication would require the three bodies to have essentially the same syllabus, candidates, regulatory responsibilities and institutional objectives. That is not the reality.
NBAIS has a distinct responsibility for Arabic and Islamic education while also incorporating conventional subjects into its examination structure.
Its official platform currently describes the board as an accredited examination body offering Senior Arabic and Islamic Secondary School Certificate Examination (SAISSCE), Tahfeez and Science examinations nationwide.
This broader role is important. Students in schools operating within the Islamic education tradition should not be forced to choose between maintaining their educational heritage and acquiring qualifications that enable them to participate fully in Nigeria's mainstream education system.
The board's significance is therefore not simply that it conducts examinations. It provides a bridge between an established educational tradition and the wider national education framework.
Reports on the development of NBAIS indicate that the institution was established in 1960 and subsequently transferred to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, before attaining national status in 2011. It has since functioned as a national examination body serving schools across the country.
That history should not be dismissed when discussing its future.
Indeed, NBAIS has evolved beyond a narrowly defined Arabic and Islamic examination system.
Its examination structure includes conventional science subjects, alongside Arabic and Islamic studies. This gives students in participating schools the opportunity to pursue academic pathways leading to fields such as medicine, engineering, education, law and public administration.
That is not necessarily institutional duplication. It can be understood as educational integration.
The appropriate question, therefore, should not be whether NBAIS performs some functions that resemble those of WAEC or NECO. The more important question is whether its existence provides educational value that would be lost if it were abolished.
There is evidence that the answer is yes.
In 2025, an NBAIS official said the board's certificate should not be regarded as inferior to WAEC or NECO certificates and noted that the board had been recognised as a national examination body.
More recently, an official of the board said candidates from numerous states were taking its examinations through a large network of affiliated schools.
There have also been policy efforts to strengthen the legal and institutional framework of NBAIS. In October 2025, the House of Representatives considered legislation seeking to establish NBAIS as a statutory regulatory and examination body, with responsibilities covering examinations, certification, curriculum development and regulation of Arabic and Islamic education.
These developments suggest that the national conversation should be about strengthening, reforming and properly regulating NBAIS—not casually eliminating it.
This does not mean NBAIS should be immune from scrutiny.
Every public institution must be accountable. Its curriculum should be regularly reviewed, its examinations should meet rigorous national standards, its finances should be transparent, and its certificates should enjoy clear and consistent recognition by tertiary institutions.
Where there are concerns about efficiency, cost or overlapping functions, the government can commission an independent audit. Where there are concerns about standards, it can establish common benchmarks.
Where there are concerns about coordination, WAEC, NECO and NBAIS can work together on examination standards, data management, quality assurance and academic progression.
Coordination, however, is not the same as cancellation.
At a time when Nigeria is struggling to reduce the number of out-of-school children and integrate different forms of learning into the formal education system, abolishing an institution that provides a recognised pathway for a significant group of learners could send the wrong message.
Parents and students need confidence that the educational pathway they have chosen will not suddenly be invalidated by policy changes. Teachers and school administrators need certainty.
Tertiary institutions also need clear and consistent guidance on the recognition of qualifications.
The Federal Government should therefore approach the NBAIS debate with evidence rather than sentiment.
If the board is failing, the government should identify where and fix it. If its mandate needs clarification, the government should clarify it. If its finances require reform, the government should reform them.
If its examinations need stronger quality assurance, that should be implemented.
But scrapping NBAIS simply because it conducts examinations alongside other national examination bodies would be an overly simplistic response to a much more complex educational reality.
Nigeria's education system is diverse, and that diversity should be managed through regulation, standardisation and inclusion—not by unnecessarily eliminating legitimate pathways.
The goal should be to ensure that every Nigerian child, regardless of the educational tradition in which he or she begins, has a credible route to higher education, professional training and productive citizenship.
NBAIS can be part of that solution.
Rather than scrap the board, the government should strengthen its legal framework, improve its funding and administration, maintain rigorous examination standards, ensure transparent accreditation and work with WAEC, NECO, NERDC, JAMB and tertiary institutions to guarantee seamless educational progression.
Nigeria does not need fewer opportunities for its children. It needs better-regulated and better-integrated opportunities.
NBAIS should therefore be strengthened, reformed where necessary and held to the highest standards—but it should not be scrapped on the altar of misunderstanding.
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