A coalition of 112 Christian groups under the name The National Prayer Altar (TNPA) has strongly urged the Federal Government to reverse its decision recognizing certificates from the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS) as equal to those issued by WAEC, NECO, NBTE, and other national exam bodies.
The group argued that the move undermines Nigeria’s secular status and was made without legal backing or national agreement.
In a petition signed by Prof. Kontein Trinya and Pastor Bosun Emmanuel, representing Christian elders in Nigeria and abroad, the coalition stressed that NBAIS was originally created to certify students in Arabic and Islamic Studies only. They said using such certificates for admission into secular schools breaches the principle of religious neutrality outlined in Nigeria’s Constitution.
They called on the Federal Ministry of Education, NUC, JAMB, and the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) to cancel the policy publicly and permanently, since it lacks legal and regulatory foundation.
The petition reads:
“Our objection is not rooted in cultural or religious disagreement, but in the urgent necessity to preserve Nigeria’s education system as a secular, merit-based, and policy-coherent national framework in accordance with the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and in alignment with the national education regulatory architecture governed by the National Policy on Education (NPE), the Education (National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institutions) Act, and the mandates of the National Council on Education (NCE).”
The group pointed out that no equivalent recognition has been given to Christian or Traditional African education systems, which they said shows favoritism toward one religion.
“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. Such elevation of one religious certification structure into the general admissions framework, without a corresponding legislative framework or national consensus, represents a structural breach of Nigeria’s policy secularity. It sets a precedent that is both legally unsustainable and socially destabilizing.”
They added that granting national status to NBAIS without offering equal status to other faith or cultural education systems shows bias.
“Recognizing NBAIS as a general academic qualification, without establishing statutory equivalents for Christian, Traditional African, or indigenous language-based education systems, sets a dangerous and indefensible precedent. The Federal Government cannot lawfully, ethically, or politically justify privileging one faith-linguistic framework while excluding others.”
They also noted that there are no federal exam boards for Christian studies or native languages such as Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Tiv, or Ijaw.
“As of today, no federal education board exists for Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Tiv, Ijaw, or Christian Biblical Studies. Elevating a faith-anchored, linguistically specific institution like NBAIS into the national admissions ecosystem, while denying the same institutional opportunity to other traditions, constitutes structural discrimination.”
They argued that this action violates Section 10 (religious neutrality) and Section 14(3) (federal character) of the Constitution and may trigger more groups to demand similar privileges, leading to confusion and disunity.
“The absence of federal certification pathways for other cultural and faith traditions is not just a legal asymmetry, it is an act of educational exclusion. The current policy effectively blocks entire communities from participating in similar pathways, creating an unconstitutional tier system in national education access.”
“True equity is not about expanding opportunity for some while silencing others. It is about designing an education system that reflects the full spectrum of Nigeria’s civic, cultural, and constitutional diversity. In its current form, the NBAIS policy falls far short of this standard, and cannot stand unchallenged.”
They also questioned the academic quality of NBAIS certificates, saying there’s no evidence of national curriculum harmonization or independent moderation by key education agencies.
“To qualify as a general certification body within Nigeria’s national education framework, an examining institution must demonstrate transparent alignment with the National Policy on Education (NPE) and undergo independent curriculum standardization and moderation by statutory bodies such as the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) and the National Council on Education (NCE).”
“Even where NBAIS claims to teach certain core subjects, certification without transparent national moderation cannot be assumed to meet universal academic standards. Equivalence must be proven through inter-agency oversight, public and international validation, not presumed by policy declaration or internal assessment alone.”
The petition calls on the Presidency and National Assembly to clarify that only WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, and NBTE-approved certificates should be accepted for general academic progression.
“The Presidency and National Assembly must issue a formal declaration that, in accordance with national law and education policy, only certifications administered by WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, and NBTE-approved bodies shall be accepted for general academic progression and access to professional training in Nigeria.”
“If the Federal Government is to entertain specialized educational boards of any kind, it must first establish a comprehensive, secular, and merit-based national framework — accessible to all faiths, languages, and cultural systems under identical conditions. Until such a framework exists, and is enacted through full legislative and regulatory process, no cultural or religious certification, including that of NBAIS, may be granted national status or equivalence.”
The group commended education regulators for their past efforts but warned that the NBAIS policy undermines public trust in the education system.
“We acknowledge the ongoing efforts of regulatory bodies to uphold educational standards in Nigeria. However, the policy equating NBAIS certificates with those of WAEC, NECO, and NBTE represents a fundamental breach of national education integrity, constitutional balance, and institutional trust. It is not merely an administrative anomaly, it is a strategic distortion of Nigeria’s secular, merit-based education framework, introduced without transparency, national consultation, or curricular equivalence.”
“This is not a call for review or reform. It is a call for total reversal. We therefore urge all relevant authorities across the education sector, civil society, legal institutions, and democratic governance to act immediately and decisively.”
The group concluded by warning that this policy could weaken Nigeria’s unity and fairness if left unchanged.
“This is a defining moment for Nigeria: either we uphold one national standard for all, or we descend into a patchwork of privileged pathways that fracture the very foundation of equity and unity.”
“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.”
