The Minister of education, Alhaji Adamu Adamu has made a move to rescucitate the defunct Northern Nigeria Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies, NBAIS, using funds from the federation account, prompting reactions from the labour and CAN.
It was reported that the minister had yesterday, forwarded a memo to the Federal Executive Council, seeking for a waiver to re-establish NBAIS.
The Vanguard reports that its sources confirmed that, although the memo had been received by the FEC, the Presidency had asked that it be kept in view but it was unclear whether that had to do with funding or the mood in the land.
While presenting the memo, the minister said:
“The purpose of this memo is to seek the council’s approval for a waiver for the establishment of the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies as a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Education.”
“NBAIS was formally established in 1959 by the government of the defunct Northern Region to perform the following functions: To develop curriculum and syllabus for Arabic and Islamic schools and centres; to supervise these same Arabic and Islamic schools and centres; to ensure high enrollment of learners into the formal school system that would have otherwise been out of school with the attendant security implications; and to impart specialized knowledge on Arabic and Islamic Studies through the Arabic medium as well as other formal school subjects in English.”
“The Arabic school and Islamic centres are also to provide a platform for regulating Islamic educational contents that are sound, appropriate and geared towards the acquisition of positive values for moral, human and national development; to conduct final examinations for students in all relevant schools, in line with its nomenclature and mandate, and be responsible for the issuance of Junior Arabic and Islamic certificates and all other functions expected of such a parastatal ”.
The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, the Nigerian Labour Congress and and an activist, yesterday, spat fire on the proposal, describing it as distracting and completely unnecessary, especially at a time Nigeria was bleeding as a result of harsh economic climate. Although CAN said it was yet to get the details of the proposed parastatal, its Director of Legal and Public Affairs, Kwamkur Samuel, promised to make an appropriate response once the details were unfolded by the government.
“We have not read the details of the proposal but we wonder for what purpose a nation that is supposed to be a secular or multi-religious state and also passing through critical period of economic recession will be so interested in projecting programmes and projects that have to do with a particular religion at the expense of others. “What is the economic or collective benefit of such a religious parastatal? Is it also a technical way of showing dominance and generating employment for a religious group by the federal government?”
“Look, let us just watch and see how the proposed National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies plays out and I can assure you that CAN will respond appropriately when we study the details.” Tearing the proposal by the minister apart, organised labour and some human rights activists warned that they would take up issues with the government over such an action at a time the country was facing serious hardship. While organised labour said it would engage the government on that once the details emerged, Niger Delta human rights activist and lawyer, Liborous Oshoma, said the proposal was an attempt to drag the country backwards when many countries in the world were going forward.”