By Our Reporter
ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – The Independent Public Service Accountability Watch (IPSAW) has raised alarm over what it describes as entrenched impunity and abuse of acting appointments at the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS), Kaduna.
In a strongly worded petition dated July 3, 2026, and addressed to the Honourable Minister of Education, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, the watchdog group accused NBAIS management of persistent violations of the Public Service Rules (PSR).
According to IPSAW, the Public Service Rules stipulate that acting appointments should not exceed six months in the first instance and may only be renewed once, making a maximum of 12 months. However, the petition alleges that several NBAIS officers have remained in acting capacities for periods ranging between two and six years, in clear breach of the rules.
*Officers Serving Beyond Permissible Limits*
The petition listed 12 NBAIS officers who have overstayed the statutory acting period, including:
– Dr. Abdurashid Salman, Acting Director of Administration & Human Resources, who has been in office since 2020 (six years).
– Abdulhamid Muhammad, Acting Director of Finance, serving since 2021 (five years).
– Isyaku Sabo, Acting Director of Legal Services, and Muhammad Ali, Acting Director of Procurement, both in office since 2023.
– Zailani Shehu, Acting Director of Audit, who has held the position since 2021 (five years).
IPSAW noted that many of these officers occupy director-level positions despite being on grade levels far below the required threshold, thereby undermining merit and institutional integrity.
Implications of the Violations
The group warned that the prolonged acting appointments have led to stagnation, weakened governance, and eroded staff morale. “Presently, NBAIS has no substantive Director in any directorate, thereby concentrating excessive administrative powers in the Office of the Registrar/Chief Executive,” the petition stated.
IPSAW argued that this situation has created fertile ground for inefficiency, abuse of office, and administrative irregularities.
Failure of Leadership
The petition directly blamed the Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of NBAIS for what it described as “administrative incompetence, poor leadership, unbridled favouritism and disregard for established civil service regulations.”
IPSAW maintained that the tolerance of these violations has significantly weakened accountability and discipline within the institution.
IPSAW’s Demands
In its prayers, IPSAW urged the Federal Government to:
– Investigate the prolonged acting appointments at NBAIS;
– Enforce strict compliance with Public Service Rules 020207 and 020208;
– Revert officers who have exceeded the permissible acting period to their substantive positions;
– Advertise and substantively fill all vacant director positions; and
– Institute disciplinary measures against any officer, including the Registrar, found culpable.
The petition, signed by Comrade Stephen Eriba (Executive Director) and Mallam Suleiman Musa (Secretary), reaffirmed IPSAW’s commitment to promoting transparency, accountability, and adherence to civil service rules.
NBAIS is an examination body under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Education which is alleged to have ignored several petitions of infractions against the Agency.
The NGO attached several memos signed by some of the officers as far back as 2022 either as Acting Directors or Directors to the petition. It claimed that these officers are still holding the positions.
As the controversy unfolds, stakeholders in the education sector await the response of the stakeholder MDAs to what IPSAW describes as a “culture of impunity” at NBAIS.
