Pulse.ng : Group calls for more support to NBAIS, passes vote of confidence on management

Agency Report

By Sani Idris

A group, Concerned Northern Forum (CNF), has called on the Federal Government and other stakeholders for more support to the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS), while passing vote of confidence on the board's management.

Addressing the press on Tuesday in Kaduna, Spokesperson of the group, Cmrd. Abdulsalam Kazeem, noted that Islam as propagated by Prophet Muhammad and the Qur'an which revealed words of Allah, was dear to the hearts of Muslims.

He also noted that the people in Northern Nigeria have made giant strides in Islamic scholarship, where the efforts were mostly in the hands of Islamic scholars who took personal efforts to learn and pass the message across.

Kazeem also said that few Universities have also took up courses in Arabic and Islamic studies which is commendable.

"There are however concrete efforts at harmonising and giving directions to the study of Arabic and Islam which came with the birth of the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies,"he said.

He added that the NBAIS is important to the entire Northern region and Nigeria at large, while frowning at some challenges confronting the board which he alleged to include unwarranted and unprovoked attacks on the Registrar/CEO and management of the Board by members of the public.

Kazeem further noted that the Board is mandated to conduct examinations not only in Arabic and Islamic Studies but also in Arts and Science subjects like physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, agric, geography, languages, religious studies, history and vocational subjects some of which are taught in Arabic.

"This is a very big opportunity for our region and the entire educational system as it offers yet another option for taking the Senior Arabic & Islamic Studies secondary school Certificate Examination (SAISSCE).

"The importance of this to our region which is academically lacking behind cannot be over emphasized. A support for this budding institution is therefore a support to progressive Northern Nigeria and the nation at large,"he said.

Kazeem further said that aside the difficulty that comes with understanding the Sunnah (Teachings of the Prophet) since it is officially written in Arabic, an indebt understanding of Arabic language was crucial not just for the scholars but all Muslim all over the country.

According to him, it would help correct some blasphemous interpretations of the Qur'an and the controversies that it generates.

"With Islam as the fastest growing religion in the world and the Arabic language becoming an international language and one of the UN official languages, the need for Nigeria to pay more attention to NBAIS which promotes the teaching and learning of Arabic has become sacrosanct.

"Already, the UNESCO during it's 190th Executive Board Session adopted a decision to celebrate 18th December of every year as World Arabic Language Day. A day set aside for the promotion multilingualism and cultural diversity, as well as the role played by the Arabic language in safeguarding and dissemination of human civilization and culture.

"The decision by UNESCO recognises the need to implement more wide-ranging cooperation between people through multilingualism, cultural rapprochement and dialogue among civilisations.

"This is more pertinent in Nigeria where our cultural diversity has often been a source of disunity than unity, where our religious differences are often exploited negatively by selfish persons especially during elections.

"A sound knowledge and understanding of Arabic will curtail these misunderstanding and create a cordial and beneficial relationship especially between adherents of Islam and other religions,"Kazeem said.

The Spokesperson noted that Islam is a religion of peace and behold on the duties of specialised agencies like NBAIS to promote and encourage sound scholarship and understanding of the religion.

Stressing the enormous importance of NBAIS to the generality of Nigerians, he said the they have in recent times monitored with keen interest the activities of NBAIS, superintended by Prof Mohammad Abdullahi, whose leadership acumen according to him, took the board to lofty heights.

He said that following recent successful conduct of the first NBAIS national examination and the establishment of the Centre for Tsangaya and General Studies of the Board, accolades and recommendations had poured in from across the entire country.

He explained that Tsangaya Centre would be a training and retraining centre of excellence for teachers and tutors of Tsangaya education all over the country, which combines conventional schooling with skill acquisition and entrepreneurship education.

The Spokesperson said the innovative agenda was informed by the need to equip and empower Nigerian youths in a bid to taking them off the streets especially children from economically disadvantaged homes, who often end up as destitutes in the guise of acquiring Arabic and Islamic education.

"There are bound to be issues plaguing the revitalised and revived NBAIS. We therefore call on the Federal Government to look into the many challenges of the Board in areas of staffing, mobility and the procurement of furniture and comfortable office accomodations throughout the country.

"No sacrifice is too much for the development of education because a sound education translates to the development of a nation. At a time like this that Nigeria is determined to reform the almajiri system of education, all hands must be on deck to make it a success,"he said.

While acknowledging the efforts made in the passage of the NBAIS establishment bill which has gone through first and second reading as well as the committee and public hearing stage, he appealed to the house of representatives members for the third reading so as to present it before the President for assent.

"In calling for the speedy passage of the bill, we equally call on the National Assembly to increase budgetary allocations to NBAIS to enable it deliver more on it mandate.

"We are keen with our mandate of advocating for the development Nigeria with particular emphasis on Northern region through progressive and transparent leadership, equal access and distribution of national resources and assets.

"As a coalition of over 73 CSOs domiciled in Northern Nigeria, poised with the task of advocating, promoting and defending the interest and values of the people of the North, it is imperative for us to be actively involved in everything that concerns our people,"the Spokesperson said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)