From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Christian leaders under the aegis of the National Prayer Altar has lambasted the Federal Government for recognising the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS) as equivalent to the ones issues by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examination Council (NECO).
It warned that such recognition would lead to elevation of one religion above others and undermines the secular foundation of Nigeria.
This was contained in the statement signed by Professor Kontein Trinya, Pastor Bosun Emmanuel, Professor A. A. Emmanuel, Professor Chinwe Nwagbo, Professor Olanrewaju Awotona, and 107 others.
They complained that the NBAIS certificate is now accepted as a valid qualification for admission into Nigerian and foreign universities, a development they described as “inappropriate” for a faith-based institution.
The statement read in part: “The NBAIS is, without controversy, a purely Islamic body. The curriculum is strictly Islamic; the subjects are exclusively Islamic, and the objectives are wholly Islamic. There is nothing secular about NBAIS.
“For the Federal Government to approve and recognise it as a national examination body equivalent to NECO or WAEC is a clear violation of the Nigerian constitution.
“The implication is that the Federal Government has surreptitiously made Islamic religious education a national curriculum and officially recognised it as such.
“This is capable of sending a dangerous message that the Nigerian state has adopted Islam as the favoured religion.”
The group also observed the absence of any Christian equivalent with such national status, describing the recognition as discriminatory and a threat to national unity.
“It is discriminatory and unfair to Christian students who do not have access to any such Christian body recognised by the Federal Government for the study of Christianity with certification. It is also divisive, as it elevates one religion above others, which is against the spirit of our secular state,” the group said.
They called on President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly, and other stakeholders to act, by reversing the policy in the interest of justice and constitutional integrity.
“The Nigerian state must not be seen to promote one religion over another. We must all rise to defend our constitution and protect the unity and peace of our nation,” the group stressed.