By VICTOR ADEOTI

An official of the National Board of Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS) says the board?s certificate is not inferior to the West Africa Certificate Examination (WAEC) and the National Examination Council (NECO) certificates.

The Special Assistant to the registrar of the board, Ustaz Abdul-Lateef Adekilekun, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Osogbo.

Adekilekun said that in spite of the long history of the board and its recognition by the Federal Government, most tertiary institutions in the country were not accepting the use of its certificate for admission.

According to him, the tertiary institutions across the country need more awareness on the authenticity and acceptability of the certificate.

?The board was initially established as Board of Arabic and Islamic Studies (BAIS) in 1960, mainly for Northern Nigeria.

?In 1967, the board was transferred to Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) as a result of creation of states.

?However, in 2011, after 40 year of its existence under ABU, the board became national and was recognised by the Federal Ministry of Education as an examination board.

?The board became equivalent to WAEC and NECO, with its headquarters in Kaduna,? he said.

The special assistant added that in 2017, the board became autonomous like WAEC, NECO and that the certificate was internationally recognised.

?Due to Federal Government and National University Commission (NUC) directives, the NBAIS certificate is being accepted by many universities in the North and some in the South.

?But its acceptability is not as expected in spite of its approval by the Federal Government and NUC,? he said.

Adekilekun, who noted that the board was out to blend Arabic education with Western education, said that 26 states in Nigeria were writing NBAIS examination with 1,200 affiliated schools spread across the country.

He also said that both Christians and Muslims attending the school studied Islamic and Arabic studies with all other conventional subjects such as Mathematics, English and others.

The special assistant, however, appealed to the Federal Government to set up advocacy mobilisation committee, which comprised of tested and trusted people to embark on a nationwide tour of tertiary institutions.

?The committee should have employers of labour to create more awareness on the acceptability of NBAIS certificate.

?Our maiden edition of the NBAIS quarterly magazine ?NBAIS FACTS?, which contains all information about the board, should be widely circulated.

?I commend the efforts of the former registrar of the board, Prof. Shefiu Abdullahi, and the current registrar, Prof. Yahuza Imam, for the prompt release of students? certificates and prompt payment of staff salaries.

?I also commend the Federal Government for ensuring the sustainability and existence of the board,? he said. (NAN)

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