...NBAIS to set up radio, TV station 

By Ibrahim Hassan, Kaduna 

The Sultan of Sokoto, Emir of Zazzau, Gombe state governor and other prominent Nigerians converged on Kaduna Wednesday, at the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies in Nigeria (NBAIS), to commission the Centre for  Tsangaya’ and general studies .

The Acting Registrar of NBAIS, Prof. Muhammad  Shafiu Abdullah,told journalists that the Tsangaya project is a big project because it is a national programme. 

According to him,the ” Tsangaya issue is a phenomenon, anywhere in Nigeria, not only in Nigeria but Africa.”

He said “people are talking about traditional Qur’anic education. Now you are talking about….East Africa, North Africa and West Africa, most especially in this our area,here in Nigeria in particular. So this Tsangaya as you know, is a very long history in Nigeria. So many resources have been used to realize the system. Now,there is hope with the establishment of this centre. The Centre is purposely established to provide our candidates with traditional Islamic education.”

” Here I’m referring to primary education, can also,what they call western education. But to me there is nothing like western education.”

” When you’re talking about entrepreneurship, you are talking about something we are familiar with.The education, as far as Islam is concerned, is general, it is comprehensive. It is something comprehensive. When you talk about science, science is part of Theology,as far as Qur’an is concerned. When you are talking about technology ,technology is part of the knowledge in the Holy Qur’an. So there is nothing like western and Islamic education. All is Islamic but the way of imparting  it, is twhere we differ.”

“People are familiar of having a building like this one,before we start any knowledge. But in Islam,even under a tree you can start anything. You can teach.This is what people,really are familiar with. Take Mathematics for example, if you say the Mathematics today we are learning is western, it is not western. In Islam, read.Many verses in the Holy Qur’an are talking about Mathematics. Not only talking about Mathematics but practically.”

” You can’t be a judge without knowing the Mathematics. There is question of inheritance,there is question of marriage, there is question of so many things. The Mathematics is there.So to us,it is a general education we want to impart to our candidates.”

“According to our plan here,we are going to have,beside this building we commission today,we are going to have another two  three buildings ,anyone of them is double of this one.This one is only just, the center of administration for the control of Tsangaya education in Nigeria. It is the central coordinating centre.”

“The next project we are going to have is entrepreneurship centre. We are going to have mason,carpentary, electrical department, we are going to have so many things in that  building which we are going to start,in shaa Allah, very soon.”

He said the next project is Islamic Recitation Complex which would be geared towards the promotion and teaching of Quranic Recitation or science of the Holy Qur’an in the Nigerian way.

He recalled that many Islamic scholars who had professed in that field ,have bequeathed legacies and the centre would preserve these legacies for the educational need of future generations. These scholars included late Sheikh Mahmud Gumi ,Sheikh Adam Ilorin, Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, among others. 

” There is need to promote their legacies, ” he said.

He disclosed that the Centre would be equipped with hostels because it is expected to attract candidates from across the federation and beyond .

Although the religion of Islam has many sects,Professor Shafiu clarified that education in the center would have nothing to do with sect,rather it would be a place where candidates would come and understand their differences in a much better manner.

With time,he said, every state is going to have its center which shall be linked to the Kaduna center. 

He said plans are also underway ,to establish a radio and TV facility to enable the  centre propagate its ideals to a wider audience

 Earlier during the commissioning of the building  at the NBAIS Headquarters, the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, said the centre was established as an avenue for training of Tsangaya teachers and tutors.

Represented by Dr. Mas’udu Kazaure, Adamu Adamu said  that the Centre was also established to train the teachers on different skills to transfer the knowledge to the students of the tsangaya system for self reliance.

” NBAIS has over the years successfully carried out its mandate of mainstreaming Arabic schools and curricular,” he said.

“The Federal Government has committed enormous resources in building the centre with the sole aim of facilitating access to education for all.”

“it is our hope that the NBAIS will reach to states, UBEC and other relevant stakeholders for collaborative activities that would make it very functional”.

He called on  all the relevant parastatals and states ministeries of education and the States Universal Basic Education Boards to continue supporting the NBAIS.

Prof. Muhammad Abdullahi, said the idea of establishment of the Centre for tsangaya and general studies by the minister of education was to initiate and create solutions to tsangaya education.

He  said it was established to bring acceptable administrative structures of Tsangaya education in Nigeria,adding that the commissioned building would be used as an administrative headquarters for the tsangaya system and three more to be built for entrepreneurship skills and others. 

“The Centre is also established to promote Nigeria local tangeem (sound) in Qur’anic recitation.The board has assigned qualified personnel amongst its well trained staff to ensure the successful implementation if tsangaya activities at the centre and zones across the country.”

He thanked the Federal Government for their intervention through the federal ministry of education and finance.

Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, said the centre would go along way in revitalising the tsangaya system. 

Represented by the Emir of Zazzau, Amb. Ahmad Nuhu Bamalli, the Sultan said that the idea of the centre was commendable and came at the right time in efforts of cushioning the menace of Almajiri  especially in the Northern parts of the country.

In his goodwill message on the occasion  ,Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe state who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG,commended NBAIS  and prayed for a successful implementation and sustenance of education in the country.